HAPPENINGS 


BEFORE  AND  AFTER 

STATEN  ISLAND 

BECAME  PART  OF 

GREATER  NEW  YORK 

AS  NOTED 
BY 

DAVID  J.  TYSEN 

AT  THE  REQUEST  OF  A  NUMBER  OF  CITIZENS 
OF 

STATEN  ISLAND 


1924 


PUBLISHED  BY 

THE  STATEN  ISLAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


HAPPENINGS 


BEFORE  AND  AFTER 

STATEN  ISLAND 

BECAME  PART  OF 

GREATER  NEW  YORK 

AS  NOTED 
BY 

DAVID  J.  TYSEN 

AT  THE  REQUEST  OF  A  NUMBER  OF  CITIZENS 
OF 

STATEN  ISLAND 


1924 


PUBLISHED  BY 

THE  STATEN  ISLAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 


F 

11?. 
H5l>2 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/happeningsbeforeOOtyse 


The  Chamber  of  Commerce,  in  presenting  this  History  of 
important  happenings  to  our  beloved  Staten  Island — First  will 
thank  Mr.  Tysen  for  doing  this  service  to  the  Community, 
giving  an  inside  view  of  the  conception  and  consummation  of 
much  that  doubtless  otherwise  would  have  been  lost  to  the 
Public. 

No  one  so  well  informed  as  Mr.  Tysen  to  do  this — as  he 
was  in  many  cases  the  inception,  cause  and  principal  actor  in 
many  of  the  important  matters  herein  recorded. 

Mr.  Tysen  has  passed  the  allotted  four  score  years,  but  still 
takes  a  lively  interest  in  all  public  matters,  especially  those 
affecting  his  beloved  native  Island. 

A.  L.  SCHWAB 

PRESIDENT  STATEN  ISLAND 
CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 


THE  COUNTY  ROAD  LAW 


In  the  fall  of  (the  year  I  cannot  recall)  I  went  to  Elizabeth, 
New  Jersey,  to  spend  the  week  end  with  a  friend.  On  Sunday 
morning  he  suggested  that  we  take  a  ride — in  the  evening  he  in- 
vited some  friends  in  for  dinner,  after  dinner  in  conversation 
with  a  Lawyer,  Mr.  Julius  Fay,  speaking  of  my  ride  in  the  morn- 
ing with  my  host,  Mr.  Oscar  D.  Kremm,  remarked  he  was 
ashamed  of  the  roads.  I  told  him  they  were  no  worse  than  those 
of  Staten  Island.  He  stated  that  they  were  seeking  a  remedy 
and  were  holding  meetings  every  week,  at  neighbors  houses,  to 
decide  upon  some  plan,  and  at  the  last  meeting  they  had  decided 
to  go  to  the  legislature  and  ask  for  a  law  to  compel  each  town 
to  build  at  least  one-half  mile  of  macadam  road  each  year.  I  told 
Mr.  Fay  that  I  thought  he  was  on  the  wrong  track,  that  I  had 
given  the  matter  of  road  improvement  considerable  thought,  and 
had  concluded  that  the  Town  was  too  small  a  unit  to  have  con- 
trol of  road  improvement;  that  in  my  county  we  had  five  towns, 
that  you  could  start  from  Castleton  Corners  and  go  thence  via 
Manor  Road,  Egbert  Avenue,  Saw-Mill  Road  to  Egbertville, 
thence  by  Richmond  Road  to  Richmond  and  from  thence  a  little 
farther  west  to  GifFords  Lane,  a  little  more  than  three  miles  all 
told,  tapping  all  five  towns — thus  having  five  different  construc- 
tions in  that  short  distance.  As  each  town  would  be  a  law  to 
itself,  one  would  build  a  road  12  feet  wide,  another  14  feet,  an- 
other 16  feet,  etc.  One  would  build  4  inches  depth  of  macadam 
another  6  inches  and  another  8  inches.  One  would  build  of  trap 
rock  and  another  of  lime  stone.  One  would  top  dress  with  fine 
stone  as  a  binder  and  roll  the  road,  and  another  would  not ;  thus 
havipg  a  Crazy  Quilt  of  road  construction.  Again,  I  said  Staten 
Island  about  16  miles  long  and  on  the  south-east  side  are  two 
towns  Southrield  and  Westfield.  If  such  a  law  was  in  force, 
Southfield  would  build  its  first  half  mile  near  Clifton,  where 
the  population  is  greatest  and  Westfield  at  Tottenville  where  the 
population  is  greatest  and  thus  if  they  continue  to  build  on  the 
main  roads  connecting  Tottenville  and  Clifton,  they  would  build 
one  mile  a  year  and  it  would  be  16  years  before  they  had  a  com- 
pleted roadway — that  then  the  first  miles  would  probably  be  out 
of  repair,  that  there  would  always  be  contention  as  to  the  town 
rights — and  responsibilities  on  roads  between  towns — and  in  fact 
interminable  disputes  and  trouble.  That  the  town  was  too  small 
a  unit  for  improved  road  building,  the  control  should  be  by 


E 


County  at  least — with  the  right  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  (in 
New  Jersey  the  Board  of  Freeholders)  to  take  entire  charge, 
with  the  right  to  bond  the  County,  employ  a  competent  engineer, 
with  the  character  of  improvement  stated  in  the  Law,  so  that  no 
section  should  get  a  different  or  more  costly  improvement  than 
other  sections. 

Mr.  Fay  at  once  saw  the  weakness  of  his  proposed  manner  of 
improvement  and  said  that  he  saw  the  advantage  of  the  County 
Road  System,  that  it  had  never  occurred  to  any  of  those  who 
were  acting  with  him  in  the  matter,  and  he  would  bring  it  up  at 
the  next  meeting,  and  he  was  sure  it  would  be  approved,  for  he 
said  it  was  so  obvious  as  to  be  sure  of  success.  He  thanked  me 
for  my  suggestions ;  and  said  it  was  most  fortunate  that  we  had 
met,  and  he  was  sure  the  proposition  would  be  approved,  and 
they  would  go  to  the  Legislature  as  soon  as  it  convened  and  get 
such  a  law  passed.  He  did.  And  the  New  Jersey  County  Road 
Law  was  passed  and  Mr.  Fay  sent  me  a  copy. 

I  had  intended  to  do  the  same,  but  meanwhile  one  of  the  Van- 
derbilts  died  and  in  taking  the  body  from  Clifton  to  the  Moravian 
Cemetery,  the  family  were  disgusted  by  the  condition  of  the  Rich- 
mond Road — and  shortly  thereafter  I  understood  they  intended 
to  build  a  fine  road  from  Clifton  to  New  Dorp  and  I  understood 
Mr.  George  Vanderbilt  acting  for  the  family  commenced  buying 
land  along  the  route  to  widen  the  Richmond  Road — thus  matters 
went  on  until  one  evening  I  received  from  Nathaniel  Marsh, 
Supervisor  of  the  Town  of  Southfield,  a  copy  of  a  Law 
which  Mr.  James  McNamee  had  had  passed  by  the  State  Senate 
and  which  had  been  sent  down  to  the  Assembly  and  a  copy  had 
been  sent  to  Mr.  Marsh  by  Hon.  Daniel  T.  Cornell,  then  Member 
of  Assembly.  This  law  by  coincidence  proposed  to  do  what  Mr. 
Fay's  Committee  intended  to  do  in  New  Jersey.  Compel  each  of 
the  five  towns  of  Richmond  to  build  mile  of  macadam  road 
each  year. 

With  this  situation  confronting  me,  1  could  not  wait  longer  for 
the  Vanderbilt  improvement,  and  so  got  in  touch  with  Supervisor 
Marsh.  I  took  with  me  the  Copy  of  the  Jersey  Law  which  Mr. 
Fay  had  sent  me.  I  went  over  the  matter  with  Mr.  Marsh,  and 
requested  him  to  ask  the  Supervisors  and  Assemblyman  Cornell 
and  Mr.  McNamee  to  meet  at  his  New  York  Office  on  the  fol- 
lowing Saturday  afternoon,  and  that  I  would  invite  some  sub- 
stantial Citizens  from  different  parts  of  the  County  to  meet  and 
go  over  the  matter  as  it  was  of  the  very  first  importance  to  Rich- 
mond that  no  mistake  should  be  made.  Mr.  Marsh  willingly  con- 
sented to  do  this :  so  the  next  Saturday  afternoon  the  Super- 
visors and  Assemblyman  Cornell  and  about  15  prominent  citizens 
including  Mr.  McNamee  the  sponsor  of  the  law  which  had  passed 
the  Senate. 


5 


We  organized  the  meeting  by  making  Gen.  Satterlee,  Chairman 
and  Edward  P.  Doyle,  Supervisior  of  Northfield,  Secretary.  I 
explained  to  the  meeting  the  object  of  the  call  and  went  over 
the  ground  practically  the  same  as  I  did  with  Mr.  Fay,  and  read 
to  them  the  Jersey  County  Road  Law,  that  New  Jersey  was  then 
operating  under,  in  improving  the  highways  and  showed  them 
that  Mr.  McNamee's  bill  would  do  just  what  New  Jersey  had 
steered  clear  of. 

Every  one  in  the  room  seemed  pleased  with  the  proposition  ex- 
cept Mr.  McNamee  who  said  his  Bill  had  passed  the  Senate,  and 
he  was  assured  it  would  pass  the  Assembly,  and  our  substitute 
was  too  radically  ultra  and  the  people  would  not  stand  for  such 
drastic  change,  etc.  Mr.  McNamee  was  alone  in  this  conten- 
tion. The  result  was  that  a  Committee  of  three,  Mr.  George  J. 
Greenfield,  Mr.  David  Wilcox  and  Mr.  McNamee  were  appointed 
a  Committee  to  draft  a  County  Road  Law  similar  to  the  New 
Jersey  Law ;  and  report  to  a  meeting  to  be  held  at  the  same  place 
the  next  Saturday  afternoon.  Unfortunately,  Mr.  Wilcox  had 
to  go  to  Washington  on  important  business,  and  Mr.  McNamee 
somewhat  disgruntled  refused  to  assist  in  drafting  the  law,  and 
Mr.  Greenfield  asked  me  to  assist  him.  He  had  already  prepared 
a  tentative  draft,  which  we  altered  only  by  putting  in  a  provision 
to  protect  the  rural  sections  of  the  County,  by  a  Clause  which 
provided  that  all  roads  costing  at  the  rate  of  more  than  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  per  mile ;  the  excess  should  be  paid  by  the  town  or 
village  in  which  such  road  was  located. 

We  met  pursuant  to  adjournment  at  the  same  place  the  follow- 
ing Saturday,  with  a  full  attendance,  for  all  saw  the  importance 
of  action.  Mr.  Greenfield  read  his  proposed  bill,  and  as  before 
all  were  heartily  in  favor,  except  Mr.  McNamee.  After  much 
discussion  he  said  he  would  take  it  home  and  think  it  over,  at 
once  there  were  objections  to  delay,  and  many  were  so  persistent 
against  delay,  some  saying  we  could  wait  and  give  him  all  the 
time  he  wanted  to  consider  it,  seeing  we  were  determined  he  took 
the  draft  aside  and  after  spending  a  few  minutes  he  said  he  would 
like  a  change  of  two  or  three  words.  The  change  was  left  to  Mr. 
Greenfield,  who  decided  it  would  not  affect  the  draft,  and  so  the 
County  Road  Law  as  now  finally  enacted  was  approved  by  the 
meeting  unanimously  and  a  committee  consisting  of  George  J. 
Greenfield,  Henry  T.  Metcalf,  James  McNamee,  I.  K.  Martin, 
David  J.  Tysen  and  Mr.  Eugene  Outerbridge  was  appointed. 

The  Committee  was  instructed  to  co-operate  with  Assemblyman 
Cornell  and  have  the  County  Road  Bill  as  proposed  substituted 
for  the  McNamee  Bill  which  had  passed  the  Senate.  The  Com- 
mittee all  went  to  Albany  the  next  Monday  morning,  and  ar- 
ranged with  Mr.  Cornell's  help  to  have  the  County  Road  Bill  as 
prepared,  substituted  for  the  McNamee  Bill.   We  then  paid  our 


respects  to  Gov.  David  B.  Hill,  and  went  over  the  matter  with 
him;  told  him  how  important  it  was  to  us,  and  got  his  promise 
to  help  us  by  signing  the  Bill  if  when  it  came  to  him  there  were 
no  constitutional  grounds  to  object.  The  Bill  was  passed  as  pre- 
pared by  Mr.  Greenfield,  and  in  due  time  signed  by  the  Governor, 
and  thus  the  greatest  boon  of  all  improvements  before  or  since 
came  to  Richmond. 

When  the  Bill  became  a  law  the  supervisors  got  busy  imme- 
diately, and  voted  to  bond  the  county  for  $100,000  to  begin  with, 
and  road  improvement  commenced  and  when  we  went  into  the 
City  of  New  York  most  of  our  important  highways  were  im- 
proved and  had  it  not  been  for  the  County  Road  Law — we  would 
have  been  stuck  in  the  mud  until  this  day — for  much  of  the  prop- 
erty of  the  rural  sections,  outside  of  the  villages  would  not  have 
been  able  to  stand  assessment  under  the  City;  it  would  have  in 
many  cases  amounted  virtually  to  confiscation,  and  without  our 
road  improvement,  growth  in  population  would  have  been  im- 
possible and  there  would  have  been  no  advancement  so  it  is  no 
exaggeration  to  say  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  County  Road 
Law,  we  would  be  stuck  in  the  mud — in  most  of  the  County — 
to  this  day. 

THE  SOUTHFIELD  BOULEVARD 

In  going  over  my  father's  papers,  I  came  across  a  petition 
which  he  had  prepared  in  1841,  for  a  public  road,  50  feet  wide 
along  the  southside  of  the  Island,  about  where  the  Boulevard  is 
now  located.  That  petition  had  several  names  of  land  owners 
who  had  agreed  to  give  their  lands  for  such  a  road,  but  others 
refusing  my  father  became  disgusted,  and  abandoned  the  enter- 
prise. 

I  had  long  known  the  great  need  of  a  road  in  this  section,  as 
there  was  no  public  highway  between  the  Richmond  and  the 
Amboy  Roads,  and  the  beach  or  bay  for  many  miles,  which 
made  connection  between  neighbors  and  towns  very  circuitous. 
So  after  mature  deliberation,  with  a  full  comprehension  of  the 
rebuff's,  disappointments,  and  difficulties  I  would  meet  I  de- 
termined to  promote  the  construction  of  a  wide  road,  through 
this  arear.  My  idea  was  to  begin  at  the  Finger-board  Road,  so 
the  first  man  I  called  upon  was  Mr.  Cameron.  Mr.  Cameron  was 
very  decided  against  such  a  road  through  his  property.  He  would 
not  have  a  public  highway  dividing  his  farm  and  homestead,  he 
was  so  pronounced  in  his  opposition  that  I  did  not  trouble  him 
again;  for  the  success  of  my  project  depended  largely  upon 
getting  lands  donated  for  the  road.  The  next  owner  I  called 
upon  was  David  Runph,  who  owned  a  farm  on  the  Old  Town 
Road,  which  he  used  for  market  gardening.    I  was  prepared  for 

t 


opposition  from  him,  for  it  was  no  trifling  matter  in  those  days 
to  ask  a  farmer  to  give  a  roadway  through  a  farm,  necessitating 
fencing  and  disarranging  his  field  lay  out,  so  I  was  not  disap- 
pointed when  I  proposed  to  him  to  give  land  the  entire  length 
of  his  farm  for  a  100  foot  road.  He  said  you  don't  think  I  am 
crazy  to  do  such  a  foolish  thing,  besides  what  do  you  want  of  a 
100  foot  road  50  feet  is  wide  enough.  So  after  some  more  talk 
I  passed  him  for  the  time  being.  I  had  already  signed  the  peti- 
tion giving  the  100  feet  through  my  several  farms  amounting  to- 
gether to  about  \y2  miles.  The  next  owner  I  called  upon  was 
Mr.  L.  E.  Seaver — who  represented  his  mother  and  family  as 
owners  of  a  large  farm — between  Dongan  Hills  and  Grant  City — 
after  several  very  satisfactory  conferences  I  received  the  promise 
of  the  necessary  land  100  feet  wide  through  their  farm. 

The  next  man  I  encountered  was  Mr.  Cornelius  Cole,  who 
owned  quite  a  stretch  along  the  line  I  desired  to  build  the  road. 
He  also  thought  it  was  foolish  to  build  such  a  wide  road,  thought 
40  or  50  feet  in  width  was  ample,  that  a  road  100  feet  besides 
taking  much  unnecessary  land  would  be  more  expensive  to  make, 
and  more  expensive  to  keep  in  repair,  that  he  would  give  for  the 
road  50  feet  wide;  if  it  was  laid  out  in  front  of  his  house  (where 
the  Boulevard  now  runs)  but  that  he  would  not  have  a  road 
cutting  his  farm  at  the  back  of  his  house. 

The  next  party  was  another  Mr.  Cole  a  relative  of  the  former 
Mr.  Cole,  who  had  no  very  clear  idea  of  the  road  or  its  ad- 
vantages, but  said  he  would  do  what  his  neighbors  did.  The 
next  one  approached  was  Mr.  John  J.  Crooke,  one  of  the  best 
and  most  progressive  citizens,  who  had  made  a  large  fortune 
in  New  York  City,  and  lost  it  in  silver  mining  in  the  West.  He 
met  me  in  the  most  friendly  spirit,  and  said  he  would  not  object 
giving  land  for  a  100  foot  boulevard,  but  that  he  would  like  to 
have  it  go  through  the  middle  of  his  farm  or  homestead,  a  little 
south  of  his  residence.  This  I  knew  was  impossible  for  Mr. 
Cornelius  Cole,  who  was  a  most  determined  and  decided  character 
had  aosolutely  refused  to  let  it  go  back  of  his  house.  So  I  went 
along  down  the  line  and  after  interviewing  some  rather  small 
owners  with  various  success  or  rebuffs — I  called  on  Mr.  David 
Bennett  King,  who  was  trustee  for  creditors  of  Erastus  Wiman. 
Mr.  King  who  from  the  first  was  much  interested  in  the  pro- 
posed Boulevard,  and  in  fact  took  a  very  intelligent  interest  in 
all  matters  affecting  the  Island,  very  willingly  consented  to  give 
the  land  100  feet  wide  if  it  was  laid  out  straight  through  his 
land — but  as  a  consciencious  trustee,  he  doubted  whether  he 
would  be  justified  to  give  the  land  if  the  boulevard  was  run 
diagonally  through  the  Wiman  property.  The  next  party  seen, 
was  Mr.  Robinson,  who  owned  a  large  farm  adjoining  the  Erastus 
Wiman  property.    Mr.  Robinson  also  a  Public  Spirited  Citizen, 


9 


thought  the  Boulevard  would  be  a  good  improvement,  but  wanted 
it  to  go  straight  and  not  diagonally  through  his  property.  The 
next  owner  was  Major  Clarence  F.  Barrett.  Mr.  Barrett  who  had 
had  large  experience  as  a  landscape  architect  immediately  ap- 
proved of  the  project,  and  said  he  would  give  100  or  125  feet. 
Put  it  as  near  the  centre  of  his  place  as  I  could,  but  take  it  any 
where  necessary.  The  next  was  a  Mr.  Roberts  who  resided  in 
Brooklyn  and  had  his  Country  residence  along  the  southwest  side 
of  the  Eltingville  Road  (Seaside  Avenue)  running  from  near  the 
Amboy  Road  down  to  the  Fishing  Club  property,  a  distance  of 
nearly  y2  mile.  When  approached  about  giving  100  feet  for  a 
boulevard  he  was  indignant.  He  would  have  no  public  highway 
dividing  his  property,  that  was  his  private  country  home  and  he 
wanted  it  private,  etc.,  etc.  So  that  was  the  situation  in  the  be- 
ginning, not  a  very  encouraging  outlook,  but  I  was  not  daunted. 
I  had  a  hard  task  ahead,  but  there  was  no  credit  in  doing  as  easy 
thing,  and  so  I  worked  on  these  men,  first  one  and  then  the 
other  for  two  years,  never  relinquishing  my  erfbrts,  many  nights 
out  till  nearly  midnight,  until  Mrs.  Tysen  became  discouraged 
and  thought  it  would  be  loves  labor  lost;  for  she  said  everyone 
said  I  could  not  succeed.  I  kept  pegging  away  always  hoping 
and  sometimes  making  gains,  and  knowing  first  that  I  could  not 
get  through  Cameron,  without  a  fight,  which  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion—second, that  I  could  not  persuade  Mr.  Cole  to  change  his 
determination  not  to  have  it  go  back  of  his  house,  and  also  that 
it  would  be  impossible  to  get  through  Roberts  without  a  legal 
struggle.    I  eliminated  these  obstructions  from  my  efforts. 

After  many  talks  with  Mr.  King,  high  minded  and  public 
spirited  citizen,  I  succeeded  in  satisfying  him  to  cut  the  Wiman 
property  somewhat  on  the  diagonal,  while  not  as  beneficial  as 
where  he  desired  the  road  to  run,  that  it  would  greatly  enhance 
the  value  of  his  property,  when  once  he  could  see  it  in  that  light 
he  consented  with  alacrity,  and  this  made  it  easier  to  treat  with 
Mr.  Robinson,  whom  I  finally  prevailed  upon  to  allow  the  Boule- 
vard to  go  somewhat  diagonally  through  his  farm.  This  was 
necessary  in  order  to  meet  a  narrow  road  between  Robert's  prop- 
erty and  the  Fishing  Club  property,  as  it  was  the  only  way  to  get 
to  the  Woods  of  Arden  and  so  on  to  the  Westfield  line;  for  I 
knew  if  I  had  to  have  enough  land  condemned  from  the  Robert's 
property  to  widen  this  road  to  100  feet  the  damages  would  be 
trivial,  so  Mr.  King's  acquiescence  was  the  key  to  the  situation  at 
this  end  of  the  route,  as  David  Rumph  was  at  the  other  end  and 
he  was  a  hard  nut  to  crack.  I  used  the  influence  of  many  of 
Rumph's  friends  but  with  little  success,  and  finally  one  night  I 
had  a  long  talk  with  him,  stated  he  was  the  only  one  standing  in 
the  way  of  success  and  finally  I  agreed  to  have  two  ponds  on  his 
farm  filled  up,  that  I  knew  and  appreciated  its  importance,  as  I 


10 


had  given  so  much  of  my  property  and  had  spent  so  much  time, 
that  I  felt  it  would  be  an  outrage  to  have  it  fail,  and  that  he 
could  not  afford  to  incur  the  displeasure  of  so  many  of  his  neigh- 
bors by  laying  himself  across  the  path  and  preventing  this  much 
needed  improvement  and  so  I  finally  got  his  reluctant  promise  to 
give  the  land  necessary.  This  practically  ended  my  endeavors 
in  this  direction,  but  right  here  I  was  confronted  by  another  and 
very  serious  situation.  The  supervisors  had  been  so  active  in 
selling  County  Bonds  and  building  County  Roads  that  they  had 
about  reached  the  Bonding  Limit  of  the  County,  which  was  10 
per  cent,  of  the  assessed  valuation,  so  I  had  to  cast  about  to  get 
the  necessary  funds  to  improve  the  Boulevard,  and  condemn 
some  small  lots  along  the  line. 

BONDING  THE  TOWNS 

I  concluded  to  try  to  get  the  towns  to  bond  for  road  improve- 
ment. I  made  a  call  at  the  Town  Board  of  Middletown,  which 
was  my  home  town,  at  their  first  meeting,  told  them  the  object 
of  my  mission  and  was  met  by  the  statement  from  the  Super- 
visor Dr.  John  L.  Feeny,  Chairman  of  the  Board,  that  that  was 
impossible  as  Mr.  Sidney  F.  Rawson,  their  Counsel,  who  was 
also  Counsel  for  the  Town  Board  of  Northfield,  had  given  the 
latter  town  board  an  opinion  that  all  bonds  issued  at  this  time 
would  be  a  charge  upon  the  town  issuing  them.  This  surprised 
me,  and  I  told  Dr.  Feeny  I  was  sure  Mr.  Rawson  was  wrong, 
that  I  was  familiar  with  the  charter  in  this  matter,  but  if  they 
would  make  an  adjournment  for  a  couple  of  days  I  would  get  an 
opinion  from  Mr.  George  J.  Greenfield,  who  was  on  the  Charter 
Commission.  The  board  consented  to  do  this  and  adjourned  for 
a  couple  of  days.  The  next  day  I  called  upon  Mr.  Greenfield, 
told  him  of  Rawson's  opinion,  which  was  holding  up  important 
improvements  and  he  was  astonished,  said  Rawson  was  wrong, 
and  if  he  had  looked  into  the  matter  he  knew  better.  I  asked 
him  to  give  me  a  short  and  emphatic  opinion  on  the  matter  of 
liability  for  the  bonds,  which  he  did,  stating  in  a  few  words,  that 
all  bonds  issued  before  consolidation,  whether  of  School,  Village, 
Town  or  County,  if  legally  issued,  became  a  charge  upon  the 
City,  the  City  taking  the  property,  and  assuming  the  responsibil- 
ity. This  opinion  I  took  to  the  Town  Board  at  the  time  to  which 
they  had  adjourned,  they  were  all  pleased  with  the  opinion,  as 
they  all  saw  the  value  of  the  improvements  sought,  but  Mr. 
Feeny  said  while  he  was  inclined  to  agree  with  Mr.  Greenfield 
and  myself,  he  could  not  see  what  they  could  do,  except  to  have 
the  matter  tested  in  the  Courts  or  get  another  Counsel.  I  told  him 
I  thought  it  better  to  ask  Mr.  Rawson  for  a  written  opinion  as  I 
was  quite  sure  he  had  not  taken  much  interest  in  the  matter,  and 


11 


that  he  was  too  good  a  lawyer  to  go  upon  record  for  what  seemed 
to  me  an  unwarranted  position.  This  they  agreed  to  do  and 
while  I  was  there  they  passed  a  Resolution  asking  Mr.  Rawson 
for  a  written  opinion  (to  be  delivered  as  soon  as  possible)  on  this 
point,  and  enclosed  it  with  a  copy  of  Greenfield's  opinion  and 
dispatched  a  messenger  with  it  without  delay.  The  next  morning 
(Mr.  Greenfield  later  told  me)  Mr.  Rawson  stopped  at  Mr. 
Greenfield's  office  which  was  on  Broadway  near  his  own  office, 
and  said  to  Mr.  Greenfield,  "Counsellor  it  seems  we  differ  upon 
the  Construction  of  the  Charter."  Greenfield  answered  there  is 
no  room  for  difference  in  the  construction,  for  the  Charter  is 
very  plain  upon  that  point,  and  you  are  too  good  a  lawyer  to 
subscribe  to  any  such  ridiculous  view.  Rawson  laughed,  went  out 
and  in  the  afternoon  sent  around  to  Mr.  Greenfield's  office  a  copy 
of  the  opinion  which  he  had  prepared  and  a  foot  note  by  way  of 
pleasantry  in  pencil.  "What  does  the  Honorable  Court  think 
of  the  opinion?"  Mr.  Greenfield  wrote  under  it:  "The  Court 
agrees  with  the  learned  Counsel."  The  opinion  reached  the  Town 
Board  that  day  and  at  the  meeting  of  the  following  day  the  Town 
Board  voted  to  Bond  the  Town  to  the  legal  limit  for  money  for 
road  improvement. 

Mr.  Marsh,  Supervisor  of  Southfield — the  Town  in  which  the 
Boulevard  was  located — was  extra  careful  in  his  procedure,  fear- 
ing if  peradventure  any  mistakes  were  made  the  officers  of  the 
Town  might  be  responsible,  preferred  before  acting,  to  have  a 
Town  Meeting  to  consider  the  matter,  so  I  got  him  to  call  the 
Town  Meeting  at  the  large  hall  at  Bachman's  Brewery,  and  I 
immediately  interested  several  citizens  who  were  interested  in 
the  matter  to  canvass  the  town  and  get  out  as  large  a  number  of 
taxpayers  as  possible  for  I  was  sure  upon  a  good  understanding, 
the  meting  would  approve  of  the  sale  of  the  Bonds.  I  sought 
the  aid  of  Hon.  Daniel  T.  Cornell,  and  Mr.  Robert  W.  Nelson, 
an  able  and  forceful  man  residing  at  Giffords  to  be  present  to 
aid  me  if  any  serious  opposition  arose,  but  on  arriving  at  the 
Hall  which  was  quite  well  filled,  we  found  general  unanimity,  in 
favor  of  the  bonding,  as  all  had  become  quite  well  informed  upon 
the  matter.  Mr.  Marsh  as  Supervisor  of  the  Town,  presided, 
stated  the  object  of  the  meeting  and  I  offered  the  resolution,  that 
it  was  the  sense  of  the  meeting  to  bond  the  town  to  the  limit 
for  road  improvement  and  ordered  the  town  board  to  take  such 
action.  The  resolution  was  passed  unanimously — seeing  every- 
thing favorable  I  thought  it  a  good  time  to  settle  the  disposition 
of  the  money  resulting  from  the  sale,  which  as  I  remember,  would 
be  about  $300,000.  I  offered  a  resolution  that  $120,000  of  this 
money  should  go  for  the  improvement  of  the  Southfield  Boule- 
vard, and  the  balance  to  be  spent  in  improving  such  highways 
in  the  town  as  the  Highway  Commissioners  of  the  Town  desig- 


12 


nated,  with  the  improvement  to  be  under  the  Control  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors,  as  under  the  County  Road  Law,  and  the 
supervision  of  the  work  to  be  by  the  County  Road  Engineer,  who 
was  Henry  P.  Morrison.  This  passed  unanimously.  The  other 
towns  got  into  line  and  followed  suit.  And  thus  we  got  $800,000 
of  good  road  improvement,  which  at  this  time  would  cost  at 
least  $2,000,000 — which  we  would  not  have  had  if  some  one  had 
not  persisted  in  urging  the  Bonding  of  the  Towns.  This  fairly 
well  completed  the  net  work  of  all  the  important  roads  of  the 
County. 

GREATER  NEW  YORK 

The  first  I  learned  of  Andrew  H.  Green's  pi  an  of  consolidation 
for  a  Greater  City  was  through  the  Press.  The  area  as  stated 
in  the  published  newspapers  did  not  include  Staten  Island.  This 
I  deemed  a  mistake  for  many  reasons,  and  so  I  determined  to  call 
upon  Mr.  Green — who  was  rightly  termed  (Father  of  Greater 
New  York)  I  knew  Mr.  Green  very  well  back  from  the  days 
when  he  and  Fred  Law  Olmstead  (who  lived  on  Staten  Island 
on  the  shore  near  Eltingville)  planned  the  Central  Park,  so  I 
made  my  way  to  Mr.  Green's  office  on  Broadway,  Manhattan, 
and  on  entering  after  greetings  he  pointed  to  the  map  of  pro- 
posed Greater  New  York  hanging  on  the  wall,  I  did  not  enthuse 
very  much  and  he  exclaimed  apparently  somewhat  disappointed: 
"Why  don't  you  approve  ?"  I  said :  "Yes,  but  you  have  left  out 
the  best  part."  "What  do  you  mean  Staten  Island?"  And  at 
that  moment  before  discussion  had  commenced  Col.  Waring 
came  in  and  after  greetings  Mr.  Green  turned  to  Col.  Waring 
and  said :  "Mr.  Tysen  thinks  we  should  have  taken  Staten  Island 
into  the  proposed  Greater  City."  "Ha,  Ha,  Staten  Island  is  too 
far  down  the  Bay,"  exclaimed  the  Colonel — "about  50  years 
hence,  when  you  have  much  larger  population,  and  much  fewer 
mosquitoes  you  may  consistently  ask  to  be  included  in  the  City — 
Ha,  Ha,  Ha."  The  Colonel  stayed  but  a  few  minutes,  and  when 
he  left  I  told  Mr.  Green  that  the  including  Staten  Island  in  the 
proposed  Greater  City  was  what  I  came  to  see  him  about,  and  so 
the  discussion  commenced.  Mr.  Green  deeply  interested  in  his 
plan,  and  anxious  to  make  no  mistake  was  a  very  attentive 
listener  while  I  recounted  the  many  advantages  Staten  Island 
would  bring  to  the  Greater  City.  After  quite  a  long  talk,  Mr. 
Green  thanked  me  for  calling  and  said  I  had  opened  up  to  him 
important  matters  connected  with  consolidation,  which  gave  him 
food  for  thought,  and  said  he  intended  to  go  over  the  matter 
thoroughly,  and  asked  me  to  call  again  in  a  few  days.  When  I 
called  as  I  entered  his  office  he  pointed  with  much  enthusiasm  to 
his  map  of  Greater  New  York  with  Staten  Island  taken  in, 
naturally  I  felt  much  pleased.   In  a  short  time  the  public  became 

u 


aware  of  the  change  in  the  scope  of  the  plan,  and  there  was  much 
opposition  on  the  Island  to  becoming  a  part  of  the  Greater 
City.  In  a  short  time  consolidation  was  submitted  to  a  vote  of 
the  people  of  the  territory  to  be  included.  There  were  two  sides 
to  the  question — and  naturally  I  felt  anxious  about  the  result  of 
the  referendum.  I  took  an  active  part  in  favor  of  going  into  the 
city — acting  with  Dr.  Eccleston  of  St.  John's  Church — Hon.  Dan- 
iel T.  Cornell — Robert  W.  Nelson — Henry  T.  Metcalfe — Charles 
Griffith — Jacob  Houseman — General  Satterlee — I.  K.  Martin — 
Judge  Benedict  and  others.  We  made  a  lively  canvass  with  the 
result  that  Richmond  County  gave  a  larger  majority  in  favor  of 
consolidation  (proportioned  to  its  population)  than  any  other 
of  the  Civic  sections  included  in  the  proposed  Greater  City.  Con- 
solidation was  approved  by  a  large  majority  and  Greater  New 
York  was  born.  Immediately  important  questions  affecting  the 
Greater  City  forced  attention  upon  the  residents  and  taxpayers. 
Among  others  was  the  question  of  better  ferry  facilities,  between 
Staten  Island  and  Manhattan.  The  franchise  for  the  Staten 
Island  and  New  York  Ferry  was  shortly  to  terminate  and  a 
struggle  for  control  cropped  out,  with  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad  owners  of  the  ferry  boats  and  the  Staten  Island  Rapid 
Transit  on  the  one  side  and  H.  H.  Rogers  owner  of  the  Midland 
Trolley  System  on  the  other.  Our  experience  with  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  had  not  been  very  re-assuring — they  being  very  long  of 
promises  and  very  short  of  performances — the  people  generally 
took  sides  with  the  Roger's  interest. 

Mayor  Low  who  was  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of 
Staten  Island  invited  a  delegation  of  the  Staten  Island  Chamber 
of  Commerce  to  meet  him  at  his  home  to  discuss  the  ferry  ques- 
tion. The  Chamber  accepted  and  a  large  committee  of  the 
Chamber  headed  by  Mr.  Gaugy  Irving,  Chairman  and  Cornelius 
G.  KolfT,  Secretary  had  a  most  satisfactory  discussion  upon  the 
ferry  question,  and  found  the  Mayor  deeply  interested,  and  at  his 
suggestion  a  committee  of  three  of  the  Chamber  were  named 
for  future  conferences.  The  Chamber  named  Mr.  Irving,  Mr. 
George  J.  Greenfield  and  David  J.  Tysen  as  such  Committee  and 
said  Committee  remained  in  active  participation  during  the  whole 
of  the  future  contest  over  the  ferry. 

The  Committee  soon  got  into  communication  with  Mr.  Rogers 
and  found  him  desirous  and  willing  to  do  a  fair  thing  for  Staten 
Island  in  giving  it  better  ferry  facilities.  After  several  meetings 
upon  which  the  ferry  question  was  freely  discussed  in  all  its 
branches,  we  got  Mr.  Roger  to  agree  practically  to  all  our  re- 
quests— which  included  building  five  new  large  boats — making 
the  trip  in  20  minutes  a  3  cent  fare — and  the  building  of  new 
suitable  ferry  buildings  at  both  St.  George  at  foot  of  Arrietta 
Street  and  South  Ferry,  New  York. 


14 


Numerous  meetings  were  held  pursuant  to  the  call  of  the  Com- 
mittee, in  different  places  (mostly  along  the  easterly  shore  of  the 
Island — from  Clifton  to  Port  Richmond)  and  the  citizens  seemed 
quite  unanimous  in  favor  of  the  Rogers  proposition  which  in- 
cluded a  new  terminal  at  the  foot  of  Arrietta  Street  and  a  ferry 
to  Port  Richmond.  The  only  serious  opposition  came  from  the 
Staten  Island  Club  at  St.  George,  where  the  Manager  of  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  and  Russell  Bleeker,  Secretary  of  the  Dock 
Commissioner  made  their  headquarters — and  these  two,  very  ac- 
tive in  support  of  the  Old  Ferry  Company  seemed  to  dominate 
the  Staten  Island  Club.  Thus  matters  went  on  until  one  evening 
I  got  a  phone  message  to  the  effect  that  the  Dock  Commissioner 
would  like  to  meet  our  Committee  at  the  Staten  Island  Club  at 
8  o'clock  that  evening  and  that  notice  had  been  sent  to  Mr. 
Greenfield  and  Mr.  Irving.  I  agreed  to  be  there.  On  arriving 
at  the  Club  I  found  Mr.  Irving  and  Mr.  Greenfield  present,  and 
after  waiting  for  Mr.  Careere  and  Mr.  Davenport  to  finish  their 
dinner  we  were  invited  by  the  President  of  the  Club,  Mr.  Careere, 
to  their  directors  room  upstairs.  Instead  of  the  Dock  Commis- 
sioner, his  assistant  was  present.  So  we  were  seated  around  the 
directors'  table,  and  Mr.  Davenport  arose  and  stated  we  were 
present  largely  at  his  request  which  was  occasioned  by  a  meeting 
with  the  Dock  Commissioner,  who  handed  him  what  he  called 
(after  reading)  the  ultimatum  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Co. 
He  expaciated  long  and  eloquently  about  the  great  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Co.  and  said  the  interest  of  Staten  Island  would  be  best 
served  by  accepting  their  proposals,  etc.  This  led  to  a  somewhat 
acrimonious  debate,  which  ended  without  result  and  the  efforts 
of  our  worthy  friends  of  the  Staten  Island  Club  were  abortive. 
A  few  days  after  this  meeting,  Mr.  Careere  came  to  me  on  the 
ferry  boat  and  said  I  was  making  a  mistake  to  oppose  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  Co.  and  Baltimore  &  Ohio,  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  defeat  the  two  large  corporations  with  their  great 
influence,  etc.,  etc.  Thus  matters  went  on  without  much  change 
in  favor  of  either  party  to  the  controversy — until  one  evening 
Mr.  Gaugy  Irving  of  the  Committee  and  Mr.  Cornelius  G.  Kolff 
called  at  my  house.  Mr.  Irving  had  with  him  a  printed  phamplet, 
— the  recommendation  of  a  Franchise  to  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
R.  R.  the  then  occupants  and  operators  of  the  ferry  offering  much 
better  terms  than  ever  before — including  the  building  of  3  new 
boats,  and  putting  in  good  condition  2  or  3  of  the  old  boats — to 
make  the  trip  in  25  minutes  and  5  cent  fare,  and  some  reduction 
on  fares  for  teams  and  pay  to  the  City  the  present  rentals  for 
the  slips  at  St.  George  and  Manhattan,  etc. — but  did  not  offer 
a  3  cent  fare — as  per  Rogers  offer.  This  offer  being  as  Mr. 
Irving  said  so  good  and  near  to  the  Rogers  offer,  that  it  would 
be  hard  to  get  the  City  to  change  and  put  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 


out.  Mr.  Irving  was  much  perturbed,  and  fearful  that  we  would 
loose  our  main  contention  for  the  3  cent  fare.  We  spent  the 
evening  talking  over  the  matter  and  I  assured  Mr.  Irving  the 
battle  was  not  yet  lost  and  asked  him  to  leave  me  the  printed 
recommendation  of  McDougal  Hawks,  Dock  Commissioner — the 
lease  and  franchise  of  the  ferry  to  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio. 

The  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Sinking  Fund  Commission  was 
called  for  the  next  day  at  10  o'clock  at  the  City  Hall  and  after 
requesting  my  visitors  to  get  as  many  there  as  possible.  I  took  to 
the  study  of  the  proposed  lease — I  found  ear  marks  that  the 
lease  had  been  prepared  by  an  astute  corporation  lawyer  in  the 
interest  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  R.  R.  and  not  in  the  interest 
of  the  City  of  New  York  or  the  Borough  of  Richmond.  I  found 
many  things  objectionable  in  the  proposed  lease — but  fearing  the 
influence  of  the  Railroad  and  political  influence  of  the  Dock  Com- 
missioner, who  was  appointed  on  recommendation  of  Senator 
Piatt  I  concluded  to  do  what  I  had  long  considered  the  best — 
to  strike  over  the  whole  contention  for  a  municipally  owned  and 
operated  ferry.  Having  acted  with  Mr.  Rogers  so  far  in  the 
ferry  matter,  and  having  been  met  by  him  in  a  fair  and  liberal 
spirit,  I  deemed  it  but  fair  I  should  advise  him  of  the  determina- 
tion to  ask  for  a  Municipal  Ferry.  Knowing  that  Mr.  Rogers 
generally  got  to  his  office  quite  early  I  took  an  early  boat  in  order 
to  see  him  before  going  to  the  meeting.  Mr.  Rogers  was  punctual 
as  usual  and  I  had  his  ear  immediately  and  he  at  ance  acquiesced 
in  the  Municipal  Ferry  proposition  as  he  stated  that  he  per- 
sonally was  only  concerned  in  securing  a  good  approach  to  the 
ferry  for  his  Railroad  and  did  not  want  to  be  shut  out  by  his 
competitors  who  were,  as  he  stated  acting  selfish  and  mean, — so 
the  meeting  came  on  and  the  McDougal  Hawk's  proposed  lease 
was  read  and  discussed  and  vigorously  supported  by  Mr.  Board- 
man  of  Tracy,  Boardman  &  Piatt — and  I  was  introduced  as  the 
Representative  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  by  its  Chairman, 
Mr.  Irving  to  speak  in  opposition.  I  began  by  claiming  that  it 
was  an  outrage  to  compel  the  people  of  Richmond  to  pay  rent 
for  the  terminals,  especially  at  South  Ferry,  to  pay  I  said  for 
putting  our  feet  on  the  soil  of  Manhattan.  I  paid  my  respects 
to  the  Dock  Commissioner  and  criticized  the  proposed  lease, 
showing  that  in  many  respects  especially  in  the  building  of  three 
boats  only  instead  of  five  and  the  asking  for  a  5  cent  fare  in- 
stead of  3  cents  offered  by  Mr.  Rogers,  and  on  I  think  14  differ- 
ent points  I  claimed  the  proposed  lease  was  defective  in  protect- 
ing the  interest  of  the  people  and  then  to  the  consternation  of 
everyone  present  I  launched  my  demand  for  a  Municipal  Ferry 
— immediately  I  was  asked  to  desist  by  Mr.  Edward  Lauterbach, 
Attorney  for  Mr.  Rogers  and  Mr.  Allen  the  Confidential  Agent 
of  Mr.  Rogers — but  when  I  told  them  I  had  seen  Mr  .Rogers  and 


he  acquiesced  they  ceased  opposition — and  I  went  on  with  my 
argument  that  it  was  the  City's  duty  to  furnish  us  a  good  con- 
nection with  the  other  Boroughs  and  since  the  ferry  was  our 
only  connection  it  was  their  bounden  duty  to  furnish  us  the  best 
ferry  possible.  That  when  we  consider  the  vast  amount  the  City 
has  spent  in  bridges  and  tunnels  to  connect  the  other  boroughs 
and  give  them  a  five  cent  fare  practically  from  the  limits  of 
each  of  the  4  Boroughs  to  the  limits  of  the  others — and  that, 
Richmond  was  paying  as  much  if  not  more  than  the  other  Bor- 
oughs and  they  get  the  benefits  for  all  these  great  improvements 
and  we  didn't,  it  would  be  a  burlesque  upon  justice  to  deny  to 
Richmond  the  cost  of  a  good  ferry. 

What  I  asked  has  Brooklyn  and  Queens,  Manhattan  or  Bronx 
to  say  against  this  proposition,  when  the  people  of  Richmond 
are  taxed  to  pay  as  much  if  not  more  on  every  dollar  of  assess- 
ment for  all  the  facilities  furnished  by  the  City  at  great  expense 
— what  in  justice  have  they  against  giving  this  comparatively 
small  amount  to  Richmond.  This  and  many  other  arguments, 
which  since  have  become  quite  hackeneyed  were  shot  at  the 
Board.  The  Board  seemed  interested  paying  strict  attention — and 
then  when  I  charged  that  the  proposed  lease  was  the  work  of  an 
astute  Corporation  Lawyer  and  in  the  interest  of  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  R.  R.  and  not  in  the  interests  of  New  York  or  the  Borough 
of  Richmond  the  controller  asked  McDougal  Hawks,  the  Dock 
Commissioner,  if  the  Corporation  Counsel  had  approved  the  pro- 
posed lease,  and  Hawks  said  he  had  sent  him  a  copy.  Has  he  ap- 
proved it  insisted  Mr.  Grout,  and  Hawks  had  to  say :  "No."  "Then 
you  should  not  have  presented  it  here".  Their  plumes  dropped — 
the  handwriting  was  on  the  wall,  they  were  whipped :  the  hearing 
was  closed,  among  the  many  who  congratulated  me  was  Henry 
P.  Morrison,  who  came  beaming,  saying:  "they  have  met  their 
Waterloo  and  I  congratulate  you  upon  the  victory".  I  was  not  so 
sanguine  of  victory,  knowing  the  tenacity  of  soulless  corpora- 
tions, but  he  was  right — for  nothing  more  was  ever  heard  of  the 
lease  to  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  R.  R.  In  the  hall  after  the  hear- 
ing I  met  the  Mayor  and  he  asked  me  to  call  at  his  office  the 
next  afternoon — I  went,  and  was  received  very  cordially  by  the 
Mayor,  who  said  he  had  been  much  interested  in  my  argument  the 
day  before,  and  said  I  could  count  on  getting  free  terminals  both 
at  St.  George  and  at  South  Ferry  and  that  he  would  do  his  best 
to  give  us  a  good  ferry,  but  he  thought  the  City  was  not  pre- 
pared to  embark  upon  Municipal  ownership,  and  operation  of  the 
Ferry — I  asked  him  why?  He  said:  "Judging  from  intimations 
dropped  by  the  Controller,  who  lived  in  Brooklyn,  that  Borough 
would  be  very  strongly  opposed  to  Municipal  ownership  and  op- 
eration of  the  ferry — that  every  ferry  in  Brooklyn  was  being 
operated  at  a  loss — their  earnings  having  been  seriously  impaired 


17 


by  the  bridges  and  tunnels,  and  that  if  the  City  should  take  over 
the  Staten  Island  Ferry  every  Ferry  Company  in  Brooklyn  would 
strike  to  have  the  City  relieve  them  of  their  burden.  I  remember 
I  became  quite  indignant  that  Brooklyn  should  take  this  selfish 
stand,  and  came  back  with  the  statement  that  that  position  was 
ridiculous,  because  Brooklyn  had  received  much  better  facilities 
in  bridges  and  tunnels  as  City  charge,  it  was  a  far  cry  for  them 
to  oppose  a  good  ferry  to  Staten  Island.  Give  us  bridges  and 
tunnels  and  we  will  let  the  ferry  take  care  of  itself,  and  much 
more  along  the  same  lines.  When  Mayor  Low  turned  to  me  and 
said  those  arguments  are  unanswerable,  and  I  will  support  the 
Municipal  proposition,  if  after  a  fair  trial,  we  cannot  get  the 
two  contending  parties  to  agree  to  work  together  and  give  us  a 
good  ferry  such  as  I  think  the  City  should  provide  for  Staten 
Island.  I  think  it  but  fair  to  give  them  a  fair  chance,  etc.  I  told 
him  I  was  sure  they  would  not  come  together,  but  a  trial  could 
do  no  harm.  We  talked  over  the  best  way  of  procedure  to  ac- 
complish this  result,  and  the  Mayor  thought  it  best  to  have  a 
committee  of  three  of  the  Sinking  Fund  Commission  to  consider 
and  report  on  the  Staten  Island  Ferry.  I  told  him  I  thought  that 
would  be  a  mistake.  That  it  would  be  much  better  for  him  to 
ask  to  be  appointed  a  Committee  of  one  to  consider  and  report 
on  the  Ferry  matters,  as  with  a  Committee  of  one  there  could 
be  no  disagreement,  and  no  jealously  and  the  people  of  Staten 
Island  would  be  pleased  to  have  the  matter  in  his  hands — and 
after  discussion  he  concluded  he  would  ask  to  be  made  a  com- 
mittee of  one  on  the  Staten  Island  Ferry — at  the  next  meeting 
he  was  appointed  a  Committee  of  one  on  the  Staten  Island  Ferry 
to  report  at  an  early  meeting  of  the  board.  The  Mayor  requested 
me  to  call  again  in  a  few  days  as  he  thought  he  would  like  some 
information  on  several  points.  I  called  and  found  that  he  had 
prepared  what  he  termed  a  tentative  report — which  upon  read- 
ing I  found  liberal,  just  and  fair.  I  did  not  suggest  any  change, 
but  a  few  additions — I  told  him  of  the  lack  of  overhead  space  in 
the  team  gangways  of  the  old  boats,  that  teams  coming  down 
loaded  too  high  were  not  allowed  to  go  aboard — that  a  man  with 
a  measuring  rod  stood  ready  to  measure  the  height  of  loads,  etc., 
and  this  was  a  great  handicap  and  injury  to  the  Island,  that  the 
team  passage  ways  were  some  four  feet  less  in  height  than  those 
of  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  ferries — also  that  I  thought  it  wise  to 
include  in  his  report  that  boats  and  slips  should  be  built  to  take 
passengers  at  both  decks,  as  this  would  facilitate  loading  and  un- 
loading and  save  much  time,  and  that  this  was  especially  im- 
portant as  there  were  only  two  slips  at  the  South  Ferry  available 
for  the  Staten  Island  business — and  that  double  deck  loading  and 
unloading  would  largely  increase  the  capacity  and  value  of  the 
slips. 


18 


The  Mayor  agreed  with  me  that  it  would  be  wise  to  include 
these  two  suggestions  in  his  report — at  an  early  meeting  of  the 
Sinking  Fund  Commission  the  Mayor's  report  was  unanimously 
adopted. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  Mayor's  report : 

April  1,  1903. 

To  the  Honorable  the  Commissioners  of  the  Sinking  Fund: 

On  the  19th  of  March  I  received  from  Mr.  C.  S.  Sims,  Vice- 
President  of  the  Staten  Island  Rapid  Transit  Railway  Company, 
the  letter  which  is  hereto  attached.  By  this  communication  the 
company  offers  to  "convey  the  property  in  question  at  St.  George 
(857  feet  of  water  front)  for  the  consideration  named  in  our 
communication  to  the  Commissioner  of  Docks  and  Ferries  dated 
February  9,  1903,  which  consideration,  we  understand,  has  al- 
ready been  approved  by  the  Comptroller's  appraiser,  subject,  be- 
fore making  conveyance,  to  the  following  conditions." 

The  conditions  are  important,  if  a  lease  were  to  be  made  with 
either  railroad  company  on  the  lines  that  have  been  heretofore 
under  discussion.  I  think,  however,  that  the  letter  justified  the 
City  in  assuming  that  it  can  command  the  ownership  of  the 
terminals  at  both  ends  of  the  Staten  Island  Ferry  and  that  the 
City  is  now,  therefore,  for  the  first  time,  in  a  position  to  con- 
sider what  sort  of  a  lease  it  desires  to  make,  in  view  of  all  the 
circumstances  of  the  case  and  without  particular  regard  to  the 
terms  that  have  heretofore  been  offered. 

Taking  up  the  question  from  this  point  of  view,  the  first  thing 
to  be  remembered  is  that  the  lease  now  to  be  made  is  to  run  for 
twenty-five  years.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  a  lease  running 
for  this  length  of  time  will  determine  the  destiny  of  the  Borough 
of  Richmond  for  the  whole  quarter  of  a  century.  I  am  of  the 
opinion,  therefore,  that  The  City  of  New  York  should  now  say 
what  sort  of  a  ferry  service  Staten  Island  ought  to  have,  and  that 
whatever  lease  the  City  makes  should  be  conditioned  upon  the 
giving  of  such  service.  When  it  is  considered  that  every  other 
borough  of  the  City  is  soon  to  receive  the  benefit  of  vast  out- 
lays for  municipal  subways  and  for  bridges  built  at  the  public 
expense,  I  think  that  is  a  matter  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
secure  for  the  Borough  of  Richmond  substantially  as  good  service 
by  ferry,  in  point  of  frequency  of  trips  as  is  now  given  by  the 
ferries  between  Manhattan  and  Brooklyn,  and,  in  point  of  fares, 
the  rates  now  prevailing  upon  the  Brooklyn  Bridge;  that  is  to 
say,  for  passengers  the  rates  upon  the  bridge  railroad,  and  for 
vehicles  the  rates  upon  the  bridge  company.    In  other  words,  in 


is 


my  judgment,  there  ought  to  be  during  all  the  busy  hours  of 
the  twenty-four  a  ferry  service  to  St.  George  every  ten  minutes, 
so  that  Staten  Islanders  need  not  be  compelled  to  consult  a  time- 
table. The  fare  on  the  Brooklyn  Bridge  railroad  is  3  cents,  with 
ten  tickets  for  25  cents.  The  rates  for  vehicles  on  the  bridge 
roadway  range  from  3  cents  for  a  single  horse,  led,  to  10  cents 
for  a  pair  of  horses  or  an  automobile.  There  should  also  be 
freight  ferries  to  Stapleton  and  Port  Richmond,  running  as  often 
as  may  be  necessary,  and  with  low  fares. 

It  would  be  the  height  of  folly,  it  seems  to  me,  to  enter  upon 
a  twenty-five  year  lease  with  the  expectation  that  any  of  the 
boats  in  the  present  service,  except  the  "Robert  Garrett"  and  the 
"Castleton",  should  be  used  for  a  day  longer  than  is  necessary 
to  replace  them.  The  "Robert  Garrett"  and  the  "Castleton" 
should  be  rebuilt  so  as  to  provide  as  much  headroom  for  vehicles 
as  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  ferry  boats  on  the  North  River. 
At  the  present  time,  I  am  told,  the  upper  decks  of  these  boats 
are  some  four  feet  lower  than  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  stand- 
ard. These  boats,  also,  should  be  modernized  in  every  respect. 
1  estimate  that  six  new  boats,  of  the  best  pattern,  will  be  neces- 
sary to  give  the  service  that  seems  to  me  called  for. 

If  these  premises  are  accepted  as  sound,  several  conclusions 
follow  inevitably : 

A.  That  with  such  a  ferry  service  the  increase  of  population 
upon  the  island  will  be  very  rapid,  and  consequently  that  the 
assessed  value  of  the  Borough  will  similarly  increase. 

B.  That,  in  particular,  both  of  the  railroad  companies  in- 
terested in  transit  upon  Staten  Island  will  profit  greatly  from 
such  service;  (1)  because  of  the  increase  of  travel,  coming  from 
Staten  Island's  growth  in  population;  (2)  because  of  the  de- 
velopment of  the  island,  for  business  purposes,  certain  to  follow 
a  modernized  ferry  service  that  gives  to  the  island  both  frequency 
of  trips  and  low  rates  of  fare;  and  (3)  because  of  the  increase 
in  the  value  of  their  real  estate,  of  which  both  companies  own  a 
great  deal. 

C.  That  both  the  City  and  the  railroad  companies,  being  all 
interested  in  bringing  about  these  results,  should  co-operate  in 
making  such  a  ferry  service  possible. 

It  must  be  assumed,  I  suppose,  that  during  the  first  few  years 
of  such  a  ferry  service  the  expense  account  will  outrun  the  in- 
come. I  think  it  may  be  taken  for  granted,  however,  that  within 
ten  years,  and,  perhaps,  in  a  much  shorter  period  a  ferry  giving 
such  service  will  meet  its  running  expenses,  including  all  neces- 
sary charges,  and  interest  on  the  cost  of  the  new  boats,  and  pro- 
vision for  a  sinking  fund  to  liquidate  the  bonds  issued  for  their 
purchase. 

20 


I  submit  herewith,  therefore,  an  outline  of  the  essential  terms 
of  a  proposed  lease,  based  upon  these  ideas.  This  lease  con- 
templates the  formation  of  an  operating  company,  by  both  of  the 
railroads,  concerned,  which  shall  not  be  expected  to  pay  divi- 
dends, but  whose  expense  and  income  account  shall  be  balanced 
every  year.  It  contemplates  the  expenditure  by  the  City  of  $925,- 
000,  more  or  less,  for  the  purchase  and  improvement  of  terminals, 
including  terminals  at  Stapleton  and  Port  Richmond,  and  that 
the  City  shall  waive  any  charge  for  interest  upon  this  outlay, 
or  for  the  use  of  slips,  or  for  the  franchise  privileges,  until  it 
is  earned  by  the  ferry.  On  the  other  hand,  it  contemplates  the 
payment  to  the  City,  by  each  railroad  company,  of  }^c.  for  each 
passenger  carried  to  or  from  the  ferry  at  St.  George.  This  pay- 
ment is  to  be  made  without  any  regard  to  the  outcome  of  running 
the  ferry ;  but  if  at  the  end  of  any  year  there  is  a  deficiency  on 
account  of  the  operation  of  the  ferry,  one-third  of  the  deficiency 
may  be  deducted  from  this  sum,  and  the  remainder  of  the  de- 
ficiency is  to  be  borne  equally  by  the  two  railroad  companies. 
The  lease  also  contemplates  that  when  the  ferry  company  earns 
a  profit — as  it  is  likely  to  do  long  before  the  expiration  of  the 
lease — the  profits  shall  be  used,  first  of  all,  to  make  good  any  of 
the  deficiencies  which  have  been  thus  incurred,  and,  afterwards, 
that  the  profits  shall  go  to  the  City,  as  payment  on  account  of 
rents,  slips  and  franchise. 

The  terms  of  the  proposed  lease,  herewith  submitted,  are  ex- 
pressed in  layman's  phrase,  but  the  Corporation  Counsel  informs 
me  that  such  a  lease  can  easily  be  put  in  legal  form,  if  this  Board 
approves  the  plan,  and  the  railroads,  whose  co-operation  is  neces- 
sary, will  agree  to  co-operate. 

The  railroads  on  Staten  Island  last  year  collected,  together, 
about  thirteen  million  single  fares.  Of  this  number,  I  estimate 
that  six  millions  were  fares  of  passengers  going  to  and  from  the 
ferry.  On  this  basis,  the  contribution  asked  for  from  the  rail- 
roads is  a  little  less  than  J^c.  per  fare,  taking  the  local  and  ferry 
travel  together.  It  is  apparent,  also,  that  the  growth  of  popula- 
tion on  Staten  Island  certain  to  follow  upon  such  a  ferry  service 
will  increase  the  local  business  of  these  roads  quite  as  much  as 
it  will  the  ferry  business,  and  probably  more.  I  believe,  there- 
fore, that  the  proposition  is  essentially  a  just  one,  and  that  the 
railroads  should  not  hesitate  to  accept  it,  in  consideration  of  the 
fact  that  the  City  proposes  to  make  an  out-lay  of  nearly  a  million 
dollars  in  order  to  improve  the  terminal  facilities,  and  also  to 
waive,  until  it  is  earned,  the  payment  of  a  sum  for  rent  and 
franchise  that  may  fairly  be  estimated  at  $75,000  a  year,  even  at 
the  low  rates  at  which  the  City  borrows  money. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  terminal  arrangements  at  St. 
George  must  be  made  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  just  to  both  railroad 


21 


companies;  and  it  will  be  perceived  that  if  either  one  secures  a 
larger  proportion  of  the  travel  than  the  other,  that  one,  in  paying 
y2c.  per  passenger,  will  pay  to  the  Gity  proportionately  more  than 
the  other.  In  other  words,  each  railroad  will  pay  for  access  to 
the  ferry  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  passengers  that  it  car- 
ries to  and  fro. 

If  the  Board  of  Sinking  Fund  Commissioners  approves  of  this 
proposition  I  suggest  that  the  matter  be  referred  back  to  the  Dock 
Commissioner,  in  connection  with  the  Mayor,  for  the  negotiation 
of  a  lease  as  nearly  as  possible  on  the  line  indicated. 

Seth  Low,  Mayor. 

Proposed  plan  for  a  lease  of  the  Staten  Island  ferry,  Upon  the 
Assumption  that  the  City  owns  the  Terminals  at  both  ends. 

The  City  wants — 

1.  A  ferry  to  St.  George. 

2.  A  freight  ferry  to  Stapleton. 

3.  A  freight  ferry  to  Port  Richmond. 

1.  As  to  St.  George:  Between  Whitehall  and  St.  George  the 
City  wants  trips  every  ten  minutes,  from  6  a.  m.,  to  7.30  p.  m. ; 
from  7.30  p.  m.  to  1  a.  m.,  trips  every  half  hour ;  from  1  a.  m.  to 
6  a.  m.  trips  every  hour. 

Between  Whitehall  and  St.  George  the  passenger  fares  to  be 
charged  upon  the  ferry  to  be  those  now  prevailing  on  the  railroad 
on  the  Brooklyn  Bridge,  viz: 

Single  fares  for  passengers  (10  tickets  to 


be  sold  for  25  cents)   3  cents 


For  vehicles,  etc.,  the  rates  prevailing  on  the  Brooklyn  Bridge 
roadway : 

Single  horse,  led   3  cents 

Single  horse  and  wagon   5  cents 

Teams   10  cents 

Automobiles  of  any  kind  10  cents 


2.  As  to  Stapleton :  The  City  wants  fifteen  round  trips  a  day, 
and  more  as  the  traffic  may  demand  them;  hours  to  be  fixed  by 
agreement  between  the  operating  company  and  the  City. 

The  fares  upon  this  ferry,  for  passengers,  to  be  8  cents  for  a 
single  ticket,  or  75  cents  for  ten  tickets.  For  vehicles,  etc.,  the 
same  fares  as  to  St.  George. 

3.  As  to  Port  Richmond:  The  City  wants  trips  and  fares 
on  the  same  basis  as  to  Stapleton. 

22 


BOATS 


All  boats  in  the  present  service  to  be  replaced  by  new  as 
rapidly  as  possible,  except  the  "Robert  Garrett"  and  the  "Castle- 
ton",  and  these  two  to  be  rebulit  so  as  to  provide  as  much  head- 
room for  teams  as  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  ferry  boats  on  the 
North  River  give,  and  to  be  modernized  in  every  respect.  The 
old  boats  to  be  sold  as  soon  as  possible.  All  new  boats  to  have 
a  speed  great  enough  to  make  twenty  minutes  to  St.  George  the 
average  running  time  in  all  weathers. 

PROPOSED  TERMS  OF  LEASE 

In  order  to  accomplish  these  results,  the  City  will  lease  the 
ferry  to  a  company  representing  both  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
and  the  trolleys  equally,  with  the  Dock  Commissioner  to  repre- 
sent the  City,  conditioned  upon  giving  the  service  above  outlined 
upon  the  following  terms  : 

1.  The  City  to  construct  suitable  terminals  at  Stapleton  and 
Port  Richmond,  and  to  improve  the  terminals  at  both  St.  George 
and  Whitehall  and  adapt  them  for  double-deck  ferry  boats,  and 
to  arrange  the  St.  George  terminal  so  as  to  give  satisfactory 
accommodation  to  both  railroads. 

2.  The  City  to  make  no  charge,  either  for  the  ferry  slips  or 
for  the  franchise  until  payments  on  these  accounts  can  be  made 
out  of  the  net  earnings. 

3.  On  the  other  hand,  each  railroad  company  to  pay  to  the 
City  one-half  cent  per  passenger,  both  coming  and  going,  for 
access  to  the  ferry  at  St.  George. 

4.  The  company  operating  the  ferry  shall  be  an  operating 
company  only,  its  income  and  expenses  to  be  balanced  in  the 
manner  outlined  below : 

(A)  The  new  boats  needed  are  to  be  bought  by  the  ferry 
company,  and  at  the  end  of  the  lease,  if  the  lease  is  not  renewed, 
the  City  is  to  buy  the  boats  at  their  then  book  value ;  boats  that  are 
retained  by  the  ferry  company  for  immediate  use  to  be  valued, 
and  interest  to  be  charged  on  the  valuation  by  the  operating  com- 
pany, together  with  a  deterioration  of  .  .  per  cent.,  to  be  marked 
off  each  year. 

(B)  The  company  operating  the  ferry  to  keep  its  books  open 
at  all  times  to  inspection  by  the  City  and  by  both  railroad  com- 
panies. It  shall  be  permitted  to  charge  2y2  per  cent,  on  all  op- 
erating expenses  as  an  operating  commission  to  be  divided  equally 
between  the  two  railroads.  It  shall  charge  this  and  all  other 
actual  expenses,  including  interest  on  bonds  to  be  issued  for  cost 
of  boats  and  a  suitable  sum  for  a  sinking  fund,  for  repairs  to 
slips  and  terminals,  for  dredging,  etc.,  to  an  "Income  and  Ex- 

23 


pense  Account,"  to  which  also,  it  shall  credit  the  earnings.  All 
items  of  expense  to  be  generally  approved  by  both  railroads  and 
by  the  Dock  Commissioner  on  behalf  of  the  City. 

(C)  If  at  the  end  of  the  year  their  is  a  debit  balance  in  the 
"Income  and  Expense  Account",  one-third  of  the  amount  may 
be  deducted  from  the  sum  due  the  City  on  account  of  the  pay- 
ment of  one-half  cent  per  passenger  from  the  two  railroads; 
the  remainder  to  be  divided  equally  between  the  two  roads. 
When  there  is  a  credit  balance  at  the  end  of  the  year,  said  bal- 
ance shall  be  used  (a)  to  make  good,  pro  rata,  the  losses  that 
may  have  been  shared  by  the  two  railroad  companies  and  the 
sum  that  may  have  been  deducted  from  the  payment  to  the  City 
of  one-half  cent  per  passenger;  (b)  to  pay  the  City  its  customary 
charge  for  the  ferry  slips  and  its  usual  franchise  tax;  (c)  as 
additional  payment  to  the  City  against  the  risk  it  runs  of  receiving 
no  return  at  all  on  account  of  slips  or  franchises. 

On  motion,  the  report  was  accepted  and  the  matter  referred 
back  to  the  Dock  Commissioner,  in  connection  with  the  Mayor, 
for  negotiation  of  a  lease  as  nearly  as  possible  on  the  lines  indi- 
cated. 

N.  Taylor  Phillips,  Secretary. 

After  several  meetings  and  much  negotiating  between  the 
Mayor  and  the  two  interested  contestants  for  the  Ferry  Fran- 
chise, the  Mayor  said  to  me  that  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  I  was  right  and  that  no  satisfactory  arrangement  could  be 
made  with  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  and  the  Rogers  interests,  and 
that  he  was  ready  to  stand  for  a  City  owned  and  operated  Ferry 
— as  Roosevelt  would  say,  I  was  de-light-ed. 

We  then  discussed  the  best  way  to  proceed.  The  Mayor 
thought  it  best  for  him  to  take  the  matter  up  with  the  Controller 
as  he  was  probably  the  strongest  objector  to  the  Municipal  Ferry 
proposition,  we  would  keep  our  own  counsels,  and  for  me  to  call 
again  in  a  few  days.  To  my  delight  the  Mayor  said  after  a  long 
and  serious  discussion  with  Mr.  Grout — he  persuaded  him  it  was 
his  duty  to  support  Richmond  in  its  demand  for  a  Municipal 
Ferry. 

He  told  me  he  had  an  appointment  with  Mr.  Fornes,  Chairman 
of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  to  go  over  the  matter  with  him,  and 
he  expected  there  would  be  no  serious  opposition  on  the  part  of 
Fornes,  and  if  everything  went  as  he  expected  we  could  reason- 
ably count  on  our  City  owned  Ferry. 

I  called  again  in  a  few  days  and  the  Mayor  assured  me  that 
in  his  judgment  success  was  assured. 

In  due  course  of  time  it  was  concluded  by  the  Board  of  Sink- 
ing Fund  to  take  over  the  Old  Ferry  Boats  and  the  terminals 
and  to  operate  the  Ferry  along  the  lines  of  Mayor  Low's  report 
and  thus  the  Municipal  Ferry  was  launched. 


24 


BUILDING  OF  NEW  FERRY  BOATS 

The  Committee  of  the  Staten  Island  Chamber  of  Commerce 
then  urged  the  building  of  new  Ferry  Boats,  and  the  Board  re- 
quested A.  Cary  Smith,  a  noted  Naval  Architect,  who  at  that  time 
was  receiving  favorable  notice  in  the  public  press  for  what  was 
called  the  splendid  boats  that  Smith  had  planned  for  the  N.  Y. 
and  Long  Branch  service.  They  were  certainly  splendid  types, 
and  are  much  admired  to  this  day,  as  they  plow  the  waters  of 
the  upper  and  lower  bays  on  their  way  to  the  Highlands — Smith 
was  so  obsessed  with  the  idea  of  perfection  of  these  boats  that 
he  proposed  to  plan  similar  Boats  for  the  Staten  Island  Ferry. 
These  boats  were  what  are  known  as  single  enders,  with  little 
or  no  accommodation  for  teams,  and  had  to  back  out  and  turn 
around  on  leaving  their  slips  and  were  practically  unsuited  for 
double  deck  loading  and  unloading. 

Mr.  Smith  never  deigned  to  discuss  with  me  the  merits  of  his 
single  end  boats  for  the  Staten  Island  service,  but  once,  and  that 
was  in  answer  to  my  assertion  that  it  would  be  extra  hazardous 
to  turn  around  at  the  Battery  in  the  very  vortex  of  water  craft 
activity — when  he  blurted  out :  "Rot,  we  are  doing  it  every 
day".  I  returned :  "Rot,  you  are  not  doing  it  every  day — Rot, 
you  are  only  turning  half  way  round,  and  Rot,  only  a  couple  of 
times  a  day  instead  of  every  few  minutes  as  will  be  necessary 
in  the  Staten  Island  Ferry  service.  Rot,  in  no  such  congestion 
as  at  the  Battery — Rot,  your  proposed  boats  are  entirely  unsuited 
for  the  Staten  Island  Service  for  many  reasons,  and  a  little 
common  sense  would  tell  you  so — good  day".  This  was  my  last 
meeting  with  Mr.  Smith.  If  he  had  taken  a  lesson  from  Frank- 
lin, who  said :  "Anybody  can  learn  something  from  anybody 
else".  I  am  not  sure  I  am  quoting  poor  Richard  correctly — the 
meaning  intended  to  be  conveyed  was  that  the  learned  can  learn 
from  plain  people.  The  sum  of  human  knowledge  is  so  illimit- 
able that  after  the  Solomons  and  Solons  and  Cary  Smiths  had 
absorbed  to  their  amplitude,  there  would  be  a  large  "left  over" 
held  in  trust  by  just  ordinary  folks.  Mr.  Smith  was  so  obsessed 
with  his  own  importance  that  he  resented  any  opposition  to  his 
propositions,  he  seemed  to  act  as  if  it  were  impertinent  for  an 
outsider,  not  an  Architect,  to  question  his  creations,  and  as  the 
saying  goes — "The  King  can  do  no  wrong",  so  his  highness,  A 
Cary  Smith  could  make  no  mistake — it  was  "lese  majestie"  to 
question  the  wisdom  of  his  determinations — and  of  course,  I  was 
at  great  disadvantage  in  appealing  to  the  Mayor — a  Farmer  and 
Real  Estate  owner  to  question  a  successful  and  renowned  boat 
designer,  an  architect  selected  at  the  Mayor's  instance,  however, 
I  persisted  in  my  opposition  and  made  some  impression  on  the 
Mayor  and  Comptroller  and  held  the  matter  up  until  vacation 


26 


time  coming  on  gave  some  respite,  and  then  the  Elections  follow- 
ing Mayor  Low  was  defeated  for  re-election,  and  though  he  had 
about  two  months  to  act  upon  the  Ferry  matter,  he,  the  good  and 
fair  man  took  the  ground  that  the  incoming  administration  hav- 
ing to  shoulder  the  responsibility  of  building  and  running  the 
Ferry  should  have  the  determination  of  the  size  and  character 
of  the  Ferry  Boats — and  so  we  had  to  begin  de-novo — with  the 
new  administration. 

Realizing  the  great  disadvantage  as  a  rank  outsider  in  treating 
with  a  professional  overzealous  of  his  calling  and  standing  in 
his  profession,  I  determined  to  steer  clear  of  that  mistake  by 
seeking  an  ally  of  professional  standing  to  add  strength  and 
emphasis  to  my  position.  In  casting  about  for  such  aid,  I  was 
fortunate  in  thinking  of  Mr.  Walter  C.  Kerr,  resident  in  the 
Country  Club  Colony  of  Dongan  Hills — I  got  in  touch  with  Mr. 
Kerr  at  his  New  York  office,  stated  to  him  my  troubles  and 
enlisted  his  aid.  Mr.  Kerr  was  from  the  first  much  interested, 
and  soon  became  enthusiastic  in  the  subject,  and  it  did  not  take 
long  to  satisfy  him  that  the  single  enders  of  the  Long  Branch 
Ferry  type  were  not  suitable  or  adapted  to  the  service  required 
on  the  Staten  Island  Ferry.  Mr.  Kerr  was  a  member  of  engi- 
neering firm  of  Westinghouse,  Church  &  Kerr — he  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  large  experience  in  general  engineering  and  the  pres- 
tige that  came  from  membership  in  a  distinguished  engineering 
firm.  We  took  the  matter  of  the  boats  to  the  new  administration 
with  the  result  that  A.  Cary  Smith  was  dropped  as  designer,  and 
a  new  firm  (Messrs.  Millard  and  Maclean)  was  appointed — get- 
ting in  touch  with  the  new  naval  architects,  Mr.  Kerr  was  suc- 
cessful in  satisfying  them  that  the  type  of  boat  favored  by 
Smith  was  entirely  unsuited  for  our  ferry  and  thus  the  most 
important  point  was  won.  We  then  set  to  work  studying  change 
and  improvements  in  the  boats  that  we  thought  necessary.  First, 
we  took  up  getting  rid  of  the  smoke,  noise  and  disagreeableness 
that  came  to  the  upper  saloon  from  the  men's  cabin  and  planned 
the  stairways  outside  the  cabin,  thus  eliminating  the  cabins  from 
the  upper  saloon — as  now  in  the  new  boats — so  that  today  one 
sitting  in  the  upper  cabin,  so  far  as  any  disagreeableness  is  con- 
cerned, one  would  not  know  a  men's  cabin  existed. 

Next  we  considered  the  ventilation  of  the  lower  cabins  to 
get  rid  of  the  noxious  air  that  came  to  the  upper  saloon,  espe- 
cially in  the  closed  season,  and  those  who  remember  the  fetid, 
foul  atmosphere  that  came  up  the  stairway,  vitiating  the  air  in 
the  upper  saloon,  can  appreciate  the  great  change.  Next  we 
considered  increasing  the  height  of  the  gang  ways  for  teams,  as 
per  the  recommendation  in  Mayor  Low's  report — also  that  the 
boats  and  docks  should  be  arranged  to  receive  and  discharge 
passengers  from  both  decks,  as  also  recommended  by  Mayor  Low. 


26 


Next  we  sought  to  improve  the  heating  system.  Cold  and 
windy  days  the  boats  were  very  uncomfortable,  and  the  old  slid- 
ing windows  made  it  very  unpleasant  in  windy  weather. 

Next  we  asked  that  the  bridges  on  the  docks  at  both  levels 
should  be  lengthened  considerably,  so  as  to  make  it  easier  for 
both  passengers  and  teams,  especially  at  high  and  low  water. 
Other  minor  details  as  to  seat  arrangement  were  suggested.  All 
of  the  recommendations  were  included  in  the  plans  and  specifi- 
cations, in  fact,  everything  that  we  suggested,  except  additional 
horse  power,  Mr.  Kerr  deemed  necessary  to  enable  the  boats  to 
keep  their  schedule  in  very  bad  windy  weather.  Mr.  Kerr  did 
not  insist  upon  this  however.  He  said  the  architects  were  broad 
minded  and  always  agreeable.  Mr.  Kerr  had  nothing  but  praise 
for  the  new  naval  architects,  and  hence  today  we  have  a  highly 
satisfactory,  if  not  the  best  ferry  in  the  world.  Much  of  this  is 
due  to  Mr.  Kerr,  for  his  diplomatic  manner  and  forceful  and  able 
presentation  was  largely  responsible  for  our  success.  Mr.  Kerr 
has  passed  away — gone  to  his  reward — left  a  vacancy  hard  to 
fill — and  the  people  of  Staten  Island,  especially  those  who  use 
the  ferry  should  hold  him  in  grateful  remembrance. 

TRANSFERS  WITH  THE  INTERBOROUGH. 

Thinking  it  very  dubious  about  any  help  from  a  tunnel — I  cast 
about  for  some  other  help  for  the  transportation  interests  of  our 
Islanders,  and  finally  decided  to  try  for  transfers  from  our 
Municipal  Ferry  and  the  Interborough  City  lines.  As  a  prelimi- 
nary I  had  several  men  to  count  the  passengers  on  the  Ferry 
Boats,  going  to  New  York  for  different  hours  on  different  days 
and  to  count  the  number  of  such  passengers  taking  the  elevated 
lines,  the  subway,  and  the  surface  street  lines,  thus  determining 
the  number  of  those  who  walked,  etc.  I  then  informed  myself 
as  to  the  result  of  the  commission  hour  travel  and  the  Sunday 
concession  of  a  5  cent  fare,  and  also  the  result  of  a  straight  5 
cents  fare  on  the  elevated  lines.  Thus  prepared  I  sought  an  in- 
terview with  Mr.  Shonts,  the  President  of  the  Interborough 
Lines.  After  stating  the  object  of  my  visit,  I  gave  him  the  result 
of  my  count  of  passengers,  etc.,  and  expressed  to  him  my  opinion 
judging  from  the  experience  of  Jay  Gould,  who  previously  owned 
or  dominated  the  elevated  systems  in  New  York,  that  it  would 
be  a  good  paying  proposition  for  the  Interborough  to  agree  to 
transfers  upon  the  basis  of  three  cents  to  his  Company  and  2  cents 
to  the  City  lines.  He  heard  me  with  patience  and  then  requested 
that  I  call  again  in  about  a  week.  In  the  meantime,  he  would 
check  up  the  proposition  and  would  be  prepared  to  consider  the 
matter  more  intelligently.  I  called  at  the  time  appointed,  and 
Mr.  Shonts  said  he  had  in  connection  with  Mr.  Hedley,  the  Vice- 
President,  gone  somewhat  into  the  matter  and  could  not  see  any 


27 


I 


advantage  of  such  an  arrangement  of  transfers  as  I  had  proposed ; 
that  his  lines  all  met  the  boats  at  South  Ferry,  and  if  any  of  our 
passengers  wanted  to  go  north  they  had  to  take  his  lines,  and  it 
did  not  seem  good  business  to  give  up  2  cents  per  passenger  un- 
necessarily. I  had  given  him  a  synopsis  of  the  benefits  of  the 
transfers  with  my  reasons,  which  were  balancing  the  traffic  on 
his  lines,  and  that  he  got  more  per  resident  in  Richmond  than 
from  those  of  any  other  borough.  I  asked  him  if  he  had  fully 
considered  the  balancing  of  the  traffic  on  his  lines,  and  he  said 
that  he  had,  and  that  they  had  concluded  that  the  tunnel  to 
Brooklyn  which  was  under  construction  and  the  tunnels  to  New 
Jersey  would  balance  the  traffic.  I  told  him  I  thought  he  was 
mistaken — that  the  tunnel  to  Brooklyn  would  only  balance  the 
traffic  on  the  tunnel  system  and  would  not  affect  in  the  least, 
his  elevated  system,  or  his  street  level  lines,  and  that  as  far  as 
the  New  Jersey  lines  helping  to  balance  the  traffic,  I  thought 
upon  mature  reflection  that  they,  upon  the  whole,  would  increase 
the  unbalanced  condition.  I  said  the  Courtlandt  Street  and  the 
Morton  Street  tunnels  probably  would  not  affect  it  much  one  way 
or  the  other  but  that  the  Pennsylvania  tunnel  at  34th  Street  would 
affect  the  condition  adversely,  that  a  large  majority  of  the  pas- 
sengers coming  into  the  City  most  of  them  were  for  the  down 
town  sections  and  hence  would  crowd  into  cars  already  loaded 
going  down  in  the  morning  thus  very  largely  exaggerating  the 
unbalanced  condition — he  made  no  answer.  I  told  him  the  effect 
of  the  Commission  hours  and  the  cutting  the  rate  to  5  cents  by 
Gould,  etc.  I  then  asked  him  if  he  had  considered  the  question 
that  patrons  on  Staten  Island  were  worth  more  to  him  than  those 
from  the  other  Boroughs,  and  he  smiling  said  he  had  not.  I 
told  him  that  was  a  very,  if  not  the  most  important  feature  of  the 
whole  subject.  I  asked  him  if  he  knew  what  proportion  of  the 
regular  traffic  that  came  to  Manhattan  from  Brooklyn  were 
patrons  of  his  lines;  he  said  that  he  did  not.  I  told  him  that  I 
had  looked  into  that  phase  of  the  question.  That  I  had  taken 
the  pains  to  ascertain  at  the  different  ferries  and  at  the  Brooklyn 
Bridge,  and  as  near  as  I  could  determine  not  more  than  twenty- 
five  per  cent  of  the  passengers  reaching  Manhattan  from  Brook- 
lyn, took  his  north  and  south  lines.  I  told  him  in  connection  with 
live,  careful  men  we  had  at  different  hours  in  the  day  estimated 
as  near  as  possible  the  passengers  coming  over  the  Brooklyn 
Bridge  and  found  but  few  going  down  to  the  subway  or  up  to 
the  elevated  lines  and  the  great  horde  coming  over  the  bridge 
walked  directly  to  their  places  of  business,  and  that  was  true 
of  all  the  ferries,  for  I  found  the  great  mass  coming  to  Manhat- 
tan took  those  lines  in  Brooklyn  in  connection  with  ferry  taking 
them  near  their  destination  in  Manhattan  to  save  an  extra  fare, 
while  if  transfers  were  given  as  proposed,  practically  every  pas- 


28 


senger  coming  to  the  City  from  Staten  Island  would  take  his 
lines,  that  all  the  passengers  come  to  South  Ferry,  and  all  would 
take  his  lines,  and  that  he  would  practically  own  the  Staten 
Island  traffic.  And  hence,  on  an  average,  every  passenger  com- 
ing to  the  City  from  Staten  Island  would  be  worth  four  or  five 
from  the  other  sections.  He  seemed  dazed  at  this  phase  of  the 
problem,  and  said  he  would  like  to  look  further  into  the  matter, 
and  asked  me  to  call  again  in  a  week  from  that  time.  I  did  so 
and  Mr.  Shonts  said  that  he  believed  that  the  transfers  would  be 
a  good  business  proposition  for  his  Company,  and  he  would  favor 
them,  but  that  it  was  a  matter  for  the  Directors  to  decide,  and 
that  he  would  take  it  up  with  the  Board.  I  considered  this  tanta- 
mount to  a  victory,  as  Mr.  Shonts  seemed  to  have  his  own  way 
pretty  generally  in  determining  the  general  management  of  the 
Interborough  Lines.  I  then  took  the  matter  up  with  the  Mayor, 
arranged  for  an  appointment  with  Mayor  Gaynor,  and  in  pre- 
senting the  matter  he  was  a  good  listener  until  I  came  to  the 
proposed  division  of  the  5  cents — 3  cents  to  the  Interborough  and 
2  cents  to  the  City,  when  he  in  indignation  spoke  out,  the  City 
will  not  stand  for  that — that  the  ferry  was  now  being  run  at  a 
loss,  and  the  best  the  City  should  be  asked  to  do  was  an  equal 
division  of  the  nickle. 

I  told  him  that  it  was  a  victory  to  get  the  Interborough  to  agree 
to  the  proposed  division,  as  there  was  no  power  to  coerce  the 
Company  to  give  the  transfers,  and  that  they  would  get  no  other 
benefits  except  the  money  received  while  the  City  would  get  the 
increase  in  assessed  values,  and  that  it  was  no  more  than  fair  as 
Richmond  was  paying  her  share  for  all  the  increase  transportation 
facilities  to  the  other  Boroughs — he  turned  and  said  that  was 
true  and  he  would  approve  of  the  division  as  proposed.  I  then 
thought  it  time  to  see  Mr.  Cromwell  and  acquaint  him  with  what 
had  happened — told  him  I  was  not  in  Politics  and  that  I  would 
turn  the  matter  over  to  him,  and  he  could  have  the  honor  and 
the  prestige  of  the  securing  the  transfers  would  bring — and  I 
suggested  that  I  arrange  a  meeting  with  Mr.  Shonts,  and  I  did 
so,  and  we  went  together  to  Mr.  Shonts'  office,  and  Mr.  Shonts 
said  what  he  had  told  me — that  he  deemed  the  transfers  as  pro- 
posed a  good  business  proposition,  but  that  the  matter  was  one 
for  the  Directors  to  decide,  and  on  leaving  he  requested  me  to 
send  him  a  synopsis  of  the  arguments  I  had  used,  to  refresh  his 
memory  at  the  Board  meeting — later  I  did  this,  and  sent  a  copy 
to  Mr.  Cromwell,  who  was  off  on  his  vacation.  Mr.  Cromwell 
acknowledged  the  receipt  and  said  it  was  most  satisfactory,  and 
that  he  would  take  up  the  matter  on  his  return  and  push  it 
through.  Mr.  Cromwell  was  one  of  the  Committee,  with  Mr. 
McAneny,  and  Borough  President  Miller,  of  the  Bronx,  appointed 
by  the  Board  to  arrange  with  the  Interborough  the  terms  of  the 


29 


dual  subway  contract.  And  my  object  was  to  get  the  transfers 
included  in  the  contract.  Mr.  Cromwell  returned  and  after  a 
few  weeks,  not  hearing  from  him,  I  called  on  him,  and  he  said 
he  had  brought  the  matter  up  at  one  of  their  meetings  and  that 
McAneny,  Chairman  of  the  Committee,  said  it  was  not  the 
psychological  time,  and  that  he  had  not  further  urged  it  then. 
I  said  to  Mr.  Cromwell,  that  the  Committee,  as  I  learned  from 
the  Press,  was  meeting  every  day,  and  he  said  yes,  and  the 
evening  also,  as  they  were  anxious  to  get  the  matter  settled.  I 
said  it  seemed  to  be  the  psychological  time  for  the  other  four 
Boroughs,  and  that  I  would  not  be  put  off  in  that  way — I  would 
let  them  know  there  was  a  man  at  the  helm  on  Staten  Island, 
and  a  lot  more  which  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  here.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  nothing  was  done ;  no  mention  of  the  transfers  were 
put  into  the  dual  subway  contract,  and  thus  an  opportunity  to 
help  his  constituents  seldom  offered  to  any  man  was  lost;  prac- 
tically allowed  to  go  by  default,  as  Shonts  had  virtually  agreed 
to  it,  also  the  Mayor,  and  the  Committee,  who  had  expressed 
itself  willing  to  aid  Richmond  but  could  not  see  its  way  clear,  as 
it  could  not  get  a  tenant  to  operate  the  tunnel  extension  as  per 
the  dual  subway  agreement  at  a  5  cents  fare ;  but  this  would  not 
require  any  security  or  the  sale  of  any  corporate  stock,  in  fact 
no  liability  for  the  City,  only  the  scratch  of  a  pen — and  to  see  it 
all  fail  after  what  I  had  done  was  exasperating  in  the  extreme.  I 
never  received  from  Mr.  Cromwell  any  explanation — and  never 
knew  what  sinister  power  prevented  the  success  of  this  move. 

Mr.  Cromwell,  whom  I  had  previously  supported,  was  beaten 
in  the  race  for  re-election. 

It  is  sometimes  as  necessary  and  important  to  oppose  incon- 
siderate and  unwise  movements,  as  to  foster  and  approve  those 
desirable,  and  I  have  thought  perhaps  it  would  be  interesting  to 
note  some  of  these. 

Shortly  before  Consolidation,  Mr.  William  A.  Johnston,  a 
most  amiable,  conscientious  and  worthy  citizen,  a  member  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  thought  a  topographical  map  of  Staten 
Island  should  be  made,  and  offered  a  resolution  at  the  meeting 
of  the  Chamber  to  that  effect.  The  matter  was  discussed  and 
it  seemed  the  consensus  of  opinion  that  the  Chamber  favored  the 
motion,  I  felt  that  any  money  spent  for  that  purpose  would  be 
practically  thrown  away.  I  waited  for  some  one  else  to  raise 
an  objection,  as  I  disliked  to  be  the  first  to  enter  protest  to  Mr. 
Johnston's  motion,  but  as  I  deemed  the  matter  too  important  to 
allow  it  to  pass  I  protested  against  such  action,  and  said  the  City 
would  pay  no  notice  to  any  map  which  we  might  make,  and  that 
it  would  be  money  thrown  away,  which  was  much  needed  for 
road  improvements,  as  the  City  would  recognize  only  its  own 
topographical  maps  for  its  street  layout  and  sewer  system  which 


30 


would  cost  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars,  and  probably  years 
to  complete,  the  Chamber  became  satisfied,  of  the  unwisdom  of 
the  movement,  as  it  would  complicate  matters  and  divert  money 
from  the  highway  improvement  and  the  Chamber  could  not  afford 
to  use  its  influence  in  that  direction,  the  resolution  was  laid  upon 
the  table  and  nothing  more  ever  came  of  it.  Years  afterward 
Mr.  Johnston  thanked  me,  for  the  part  I  had  taken,  as  he  had 
become  convinced  that  it  would  have  been  a  useless  expenditure 
of  money  to  put  it  into  a  survey  which  he  was  satisfied  then  the 
City  would  not  adopt. 

MOVE  TO  GET  WATER  FROM  NEW  JERSEY 

After  Consolidation,  dissatisfaction  with  the  water  supply  for 
Richmond  became  quite  urgent.  It  was  charged  that  the  water 
supplied  by  the  City  was  insufficient,  dirty  and  so  briny  as  to  be 
entirely  unfit  for  steam  boiler  purposes,  as  the  salt  in  the  water 
destroyed  the  pipes,  boilers,  etc.,  and  these  facts  became  known  to 
a  New  Jersey  Corporation,  (whose  Corporate  name  I  cannot 
recall)  engaged  in  various  economical  pursuits,  especially  the  sup- 
plying of  water  to  many  of  the  towns  in  New  Jersey.  The  said 
Corporation  opened  negotiations  with  the  City  to  supply  Rich- 
mond Borough  with  water. 

I  took  the  trouble  to  investigate  the  said  Corporation  and  my 
opinion  from  what  I  learned,  impressed  me  that  it  would  be  bad 
policy  for  the  City  to  become  entangled  with  the  New  Jersey  Cor- 
portaion — that  the  service  rendered  in  New  Jersey  was  not  sat- 
isfactory. They  would  put  mains  only  on  streets  well  built  up, 
where  the  service  would  immediately  pay,  and  that  in  short  it 
was  a  grasping,  and  selfish  Company,  in  business  strictly  for  its 
own  pocket.  The  Company  had  many  friends  on  Staten  Island 
who  favored  arrangement  by  the  City  with  the  Company  for  a 
water  supply,  and  a  meeting  was  called  by  the  Board  of  Esti- 
mate to  consider  the  question. 

Mr.  Sidney  F.  Rawson  was  strenuously  opposed  to  the  propo- 
sition of  the  making  of  a  contract  with  the  New  Jersey  Cor- 
poration ;  and  as  I  had  often  told  Mr.  Rawson,  that  I  knew  there 
was  ample  supply  of  water  on  Staten  Island,  he  requested  me 
to  come  to  the  meeting,  and  a  very  interesting,  though  somewhat 
acrimonious  discussion,  followed,  those  favorable  to  the  Cor- 
poration taking  the  ground  that  no  supply  of  any  consequence 
could  be  had  on  Staten  Island  and  that  the  only  hope  was  with 
the  New  Jersey  Company. 

Some  one  present  had  a  copy  of  an  opinion  by  Professor  Hal- 
lock  of  Columbia,  that  the  water  supply  on  Staten  Island  was  very 
limited,  as  it  was  shut  off  from  any  water  from  New  Jersey  by  a 
trap  dike  running  through  the  Island  into  New  Jersey,  etc.  I 


31 


heard  all  that  was  urged  in  favor  of  the  New  Jersey  Corpora- 
tion and  then  told  the  Board  that  I  knew  there  was  ample  supply 
on  Staten  Island,  and  told  them  that  I  knew  the  opinion  of  Pro- 
fessor  Hallock  and  that  I  took  the  pains  to  go  to  Dr.  Hallock's 
home  and  discuss  the  matter  with  him.  Dr.  Hallock,  on  account 
of  the  trap  dike  said  that  he  was  satisfied  that  no  considerable 
amount  of  water  could  come  in  through  New  Jersey.  I  asked 
him  the  size  and  direction  of  the  trap  dike  and  he  replied  that 
it  was  from  the  Palisades,  dipped  under  Jersey  City  and  Bayonne, 
cropping  out  at  Graniteville,  and  again  at  Linoleumville,  thence 
across  the  Sound  and  so  on  to  Plainfield  and  beyond,  that  this 
was  bed  rock  going  to  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  was  impervious  to 
water,  etc. 

I  told  him  so  far  I  agreed  with  him,  but  what  was  to  prevent 
the  water  coming  into  Staten  Island  from  New  Jersey  through 
the  Cretaceous  formation,  south  of  the  tongue  of  trap  rock  or 
north  of  said  tongue.  He  at  once  saw  the  force  of  the  con- 
tention and  admitted  that  the  Cretaceous  formation  being  par- 
ticularly favorable  for  carrying  water,  that  no  doubt  considerable 
water  came  into  Staten  Island  from  New  Jersey.  I  also  told  the 
Board  that  the  year  before  I  had  hired  a  large  pump  with  seven 
inches  discharge  and  a  boiler  and  engine  set  up  on  my  property 
between  New  Dorp  and  Grant  City,  and  bored  a  well  fifty  feet 
deep  near  a  brook  to  take  off  the  water  pumped,  and  that  I  had 
that  pump  going  night  and  day  for  two  weeks,  with  the  result 
that  I  had  made  no  appreciable  lowering  of  the  water  in  that 
area  from  test  pipes  driven  200  feet  from  the  pump.  I  insisted 
that  I  knew  there  was  ample  supply,  of  good  potable  water  on 
Staten  Island  and  though  not  absolutely  free  from  brackishness 
caused  by  some  seeping  from  the  sea,  yet  better  and  purer  than 
that  now  being  served  to  the  people,  and  it  would  be  wiser  for 
the  City  to  get  its  supply  from  that  source  to  tide  us  over  until 
such  time  as  we  could  get  water  from  the  Catskills  which  I  said 
was  sure  to  come,  than  to  become  entangled  with  the  New  Jersey 
Corporation,  the  result  was  that  the  meeting  adjourned  without 
action,  and  immediately  Mr.  John  E.  Bowe,  then  Deputy  Com- 
missioner of  Water  Supply  got  busy — got  in  touch  with  Professor 
Halleck,  and  had  him  select  places  on  the  south  side  of  the  island 
for  four  pumping  stations.  Professor  Halleck,  to  save  City 
expense  chose  the  line  of  Southfield  Boulevard  where  City  mains 
were  and  four  pumping  stations  were  installed  and  ample  supply 
of  water  secured,  and  thus  the  City  was  saved  from  entering 
into  a  contract  what  might  have  proven  expensive  and  injurious 
to  the  City,  and  probably  retarding  our  connection  with  the  Cat- 
skills,  etc.,  and  Richmond  secured  sufficient  very  good  water, 
though  not  as  soft  as  desirable  until  we  finally  got  water  from 
the  Catskills  via  Brooklyn. 


32 


TRYING  TO  STEAL  SLIP. 

A  villainous  attempt  to  steal  the  use  of  one  of  the  two  piers 
at  Whitehall,  South  Ferry  for  the  use  of  what  was  called  the 
"Blue  Line"  of  the  Jersey  Central  Railroad.  A  meeting  was 
called  by  McDougal  Hawks,  Dock  Commissioner,  at  his  office, 
Pier  1,  North  River,  to  consider  the  question.  The  New  Jersey 
Central  Railroad  was  represented  by  Mr.  Boardman,  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Tracy,  Boardman  &  Piatt.  Mr.  Piatt  was  a  son 
of  Thomas  Piatt,  the  Republican  leader  in  the  State.  There  was 
a  large  meeting  as  this  was  very  important  to  Staten  Island  as 
there  were  only  two  piers  at  South  Ferry  available  for  the  Staten 
Island  service.  The  meeting  was  opened  by  the  Dock  Commis- 
sioner who  stated  the  object  of  the  meeting,  etc. 

Then  Mr.  Boardman,  in  high  feather,  told  the  meeting  in  a 
very  patronizing  way  the  leasing  of  the  pier  would  not  injure  the 
Island  service,  and  a  lot  of  platitudes  unworthy  of  a  lawyer 
occupying  a  respectable  position  in  the  profession,  until  Mr. 
Howard  R.  Bayne,  asked  for  an  explanation  how  it  came  that 
the  counsel  for  the  Staten  Island  Rapid  Transit,  should  be  here 
advocating  the  leasing  of  this  pier  to  the  Jersey  Central  which 
seemingly  would  injure  the  Staten  Island  Rapid  Transit.  When 
Mr.  Boardman  replied,  the  gentleman  (meaning  Mr.  Bayne) 
was  mistaken  that  he  was  not  and  had  not  been  counsel  for  the 
Staten  Island  Rapid  Transit  for  over  two  years.  It  then  occurred 
to  me  that  I  had  noticed  in  the  Press  that  Mr.  Boardman' s  firm 
had  been  retained  by  the  Rapid  Transit  Commission  to  look  after 
the  interest  of  the  City  in  matters  affecting  the  activities  of  that 
commission,  so  I  asked  Mr.  Boardman  if  he  was  counsel  for 
the  Rapid  Transit  Commission — he  said  that  he  was — I  asked  him 
if  he  had  been  retained,  he  said  that  he  had — I  said  this  was 
astonishing — that  the  Rapid  Transit  Commission  as  I  understood 
it,  was  organized  by  the  Legislature,  to  give  better  transit  facili- 
ties between  the  various  Boroughs  of  the  greater  City,  of  which 
Richmond  is  one,  and  that  I  had  supposed  that  it  was  not  only 
the  duty  of  the  Commissioners  and  of  the  engineers,  and  lawyers 
as  well  to  aid  and  abet  in  every  possible  way  better  transit  facili- 
ties between  the  various  Boroughs,  and  I  could  not  understand 
the  ethics  of  professional  propriety  that  would  justify  our  lawyer 
with  our  money  in  his  pocket,  coming  here  as  the  paid  attorney 
for  a  foreign  corporation  and  stab  the  Borough  of  Richmond  in 
its  very  vitals  on  this  important  question  of  transit  facilities. 

This  seemed  a  knockout  blow,  for  Boardman  never  got  on  his 
feet  again,  made  no  response,  the  meeting  was  adjourned,  and 
nothing  more  was  ever  heard  of  this  monstrous  outrage  of  taking 
from  the  use  of  Statten  Island  Ferry  one  of  the  two  slips  which 
had  been  in  the  use  of  that  ferry  from  time  immemorial. 


PROPOSAL  TO  BUILD  A  SUBWAY 


TO  STATEN  ISLAND  VIA  NEW  JERSEY 

A  committee  of  the  Staten  Island  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
the  Civic  League  proposed  the  novel  achievement  of  building  a 
direct  tunnel  from  Manhattan  to  St.  George  by  way  of  detour  to 
New  Jersey.  The  members  of  this  committee  was  composed  of 
leading  and  influenial  citizens  whose  commanding  position  was 
such,  that  many  needed  no  other  guarantee  of  the  wisdom  of  their 
proposition  than  their  endorsement.  A  public  meeting  was  called 
at  the  Borough  Hall  with  much  flourish  and  much  advertisement 
by  circulars  and  leaflets,  and  a  large  meeting  was  the  result.  I 
had  not,  on  account  of  my  health,  attended  former  meetings  on 
this  subject,  but  one  of  the  circulars  with  map  of  route,  etc., 
fell  into  my  hands.  After  perusing  this  propaganda  I  deemed 
it  my  duty  to  attend  and  oppose  the  novel,  if  not  preposterous 
proposition.  The  meeting  was  somewhat  beligerent,  but  the 
outcome  was  that  no  action  was  taken  and  nothing  more  was 
ever  heard  of  this  novel  proposition  of  building  a  direct  subway 
from  Manhattan  to  St.  George,  Staten  Island  via  New  Jersey. 
The  following  letter  written  at  the  time  at  the  request  of  the 
Staten  Island  Advance  will  give  better  understanding  of  the  pro 
and  con  of  this  controversy  than  anything  I  could  now  write. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Daily  Advance : 

Connection  of  Richmond  by  tunnel  with  other  boroughs  is  of 
great  importance.  Conditions  now  seem  favorable  for  this  de- 
sirable consummation.  Unfortunately,  in  my  judgment  a  most 
injudicious  and  unwarranted  position  has  been  taken  by  the 
committee  acting  supposedly  in  the  interest  of  Richmond.  They 
(the  committee)  have  planned  and  recommended  two  routes, 
both  of  which  are  almost  entirely  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey, 
where  the  City  has  no  authority  to  build  or  even  spend  its  money 
to  survey  a  route;  also  this  committee  by  propaganda  has  taken 
strong  ground  against  the  route  which  has  been  considered  de- 
sirable for  all  the  years  since  the  organization  of  the  old  Rapid 
Transit  Commission,  and  has  been  presented  and  urged  at  all 
meetings  both  of  the  Rapid  Transit  Commission,  the  Public 
Service  Commission  and  the  Board  of  Estimate,  by  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  and  leading  citizens  generally. 

Not  content  with  favoring  two  impossible  routes,  but  by  propa- 
ganda in  public  press  and  by  leaflet  with  map  and  sketches,  state 


34 


that  the  people  of  Richmond  were  unanimously  in  favor  of  the 
two  routes,  and  were  unanimously  against  the  Bay  Ridge  route, 
both  of  these  statements  were  absolutely  false,  and  the  leaflet  cir- 
culated ostensibly  by  the  committee  containing  many  false  state- 
ments, in  order  to  support  and  aid  this  outrageous  deception. 

On  account  of  my  health  I  had  not  attended  public  meetings 
lately,  but  when  I  received  this  leaflet  honey-combed  with  false 
and  misleading  statements,  I  deemed  it  my  duty  to  go  to  the 
meeting  and  denounce  the  outrage.  As  a  Staten  Islander  I  could 
not  stand  to  be  put  in  such  a  false,  foolish  and  unjust  position. 
I  considered  it  an  impeachment  of  my  manhood  and  an  insult 
to  my  intelligence. 

The  Bay  Ridge  route  has  been  for  all  the  long  years  the  one 
route  urged  as  feasible  and  possible  until  these  new  and  enter- 
prising financiers  whose  horoscope  is  so  wonderful  and  the 
prospect  so  alluring  that  one  would  think  they  only  had  to  strike 
a  rock  Moses-like  and  a  golden  stream  would  gush  forth.  They 
talk  of  millions  with  a  fluency  and  eclat  that  would  be  becoming 
to  Morgan  or  Rockefeller. 

The  relative  value  of  the  several  routes,  with  the  prospect  of 
securing  them,  is  what  interest  Staten  Islanders.  First,  what 
obstacles,  if  any,  are  in  the  way  of  securing  any  route  ?  Secondly, 
if  secured,  which  would  be  best  for  Richmond,  and  the  City? 
Thirdly,  which  is  the  most  likely  to  be  secured. 

The  two  routes  advocated  by  the  committee,  being  mostly  in 
New  Jersey  I  will  call  them  New  Jersey  routes.  Route  A  starts 
from  Tompkinsville,  passes  St.  George  under  the  hill  and  Kill 
von  Kull  with  slight  detour  to  the  northern  side  of  Ellis  Island, 
thence  under  the  North  River  to  the  Battery,  with  no  connection 
and  an  extra  fare — for  by  no  stretch  of  reason  or  imagination 
could  this  route,  in  another  State,  never  contemplated,  be  con- 
sidered an  extension  of  either  the  dual  subway  systems,  and  by 
any  process  of  reasoning  could  we  expect  these  or  other  lines  to 
grant  free  transfers. 

Route  B  passes  through  the  oil  tank  region  of  Constable  Hook, 
thence  along  the  bulkhead  line  of  the  extensive  freight  yards  of 
two  trunk  line  railroads  with  no  prospect  of  passengers  except 
from  Staten  Island  and  Constable  Hook  section,  and  depending 
upon  the  Central  Railroad  of  New  Jersey  to  furnish  the  pas- 
sengers from  New  Jersey  to  justify  the  cost,  thence  by  tunnel  to 
the  Battery  without  connection,  same  as  Route  A. 

The  few  passengers  from  Staten  Island  and  Constable  Hook 
would  not  be  sufficient  to  warrant  going  through  the  tunnel  to 
the  Battery  without  change,  hence  this  would  be  only  a  shuttle 
connection  with  the  Jersey  Central.  And  the  great  flourish  of 
connection  with  five  railroads  dwindles  to  connection  with  the 
freight  yards  of  two  and  the  passenger  system  of  one.    It  gives 


36 


no  better  connection  with  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  than  we  have 
now. 

These  two  routes,  being  mostly  in  New  Jersey,  would  not  only 
require  legislation  in  both  States,  but  passing  most  of  the  way  over 
private  property  would  require  the  securing  of  the  right  of  way 
over  same,  which  would  be  long  and  tedious  negotiations,  hence 
long  delays  before  such  routes  would  be  available. 

The  "right  of  way"  via  Bay  Ridge  connecting  with  the  dual 
subway  system  is  clear,  unobstructed  and  indisputable. 

The  connection  with  the  dual  subway  system  means  connections 
southerly  with  Coney  Island,  Bay  Ridge,  yacht  and  athletic  clubs, 
Prospect  Park  and  places  on  connecting  lines  of  the  system. 
Easterly  and  northerly  along  near  the  waterfront,  now  rapidly 
improving,  including  the  famous  Bush  Terminal  region,  to  At- 
lantic Avenue,  connecting  with  many  systems  throughout  Brook- 
lyn and  Long  Island,  Borough  Hall,  Court  House,  Post  Office, 
City  Offices,  the  hotel,  department  stores  and  theatre  sections,  by 
local  trains  to  the  Municipal  Building,  Manhattan,  and  by  express 
to  Canal  Street  and  up  Broadway  to  Union  Square,  passing 
through  the  wholesale  dry  goods  district,  thence  up  Broadway 
and  Seventh  Avenue  to  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  depot  (and 
by  free  transfers  to  the  Grand  Central  Station),  thence  to  Forty- 
second  Street  and  Times  Square,  thence  to  Fifty-ninth  Street  and 
Central  Park  to  the  hotel,  theatre  and  automobile  centers,  thence 
along  Fifty-ninth  Street  and  Central  Park  to  Queensborough 
Bridge  (or  by  tunnel)  to  Queens,  and  up  Roosevelt  Avenue.  Also 
by  change  at  Pacific  Street,  Brooklyn,  taking  the  tunnel  (which 
is  nearly  completed)  to  Whitehall  Street  to  the  Post  Office,  Cus- 
tom House  and  Produce  Exchange,  up  through  Church  Street,  to 
Rector,  Courtlandt  Street  at  the  Hudson  Tunnels,  thence  to 
Broadway  at  City  Hall,  thence  to  Canal  Street  and  so  on  up 
Broadway.  Again,  when  the  route  from  Whitehall  Street  through 
Broad  and  Nassau  Streets  is  finished  you  will  go  through  the 
heart  of  the  financial  district  and  insurance  district,  with  sta- 
tions at  Broad  and  Wall  Streets,  at  the  sub-treasury  and  the 
Stock  Exchange,  and  within  easy  reach  of  the  Consolidated  and 
Cotton  Exchanges,  and  on  through  Nassau  Street  to  Park  Row, 
to  Post  Office  and  Municipal  Building,  passing  through  the  great 
newspaper  section,  thence  through  Centre  and  McDougal  Streets 
to  Williamsburg  Bridge  and  over  into  Queens  and  up  Broadway. 
Also  connecting  with  the  numerous  lines  of  the  system;  all  at  a 
single  fare,  at  present  5  cents. 

The  time  which  it  will  take  over  this  system  from  Tompkins- 
ville  is  easily  determined,  by  adding  five  minutes  to  59th  Street, 
Brooklyn  from  there  by  local  to  the  Municipal  Building,  Man- 
hattan, 22  minutes  by  express  to  Canal  Street,  14  to  15  minutes 

31 


and  to  Union  Square  19  minutes  and  to  42nd  Street,  23  to  24 
minutes — and  from  Union  Square  to  Whitehall  Street,  10  min- 
utes. 

The  express  is  not  running  above  Union  Square  and  the  road 
is  not  running  above  42nd  Street. 

This  is  the  Big  Elephant,  the  enterprising  committee  were 
afraid  they  would  have  on  their  hands  in  the  Bay  Ridge  route. 
Well  it  looks  like  a  good  large,  healthy  and  useful  specimen, 
compared  to  the  weak  stunted,  mongrel  specimen  of  the  com- 
mittee which  has  no  reason  for  its  existence,  and  of  which  its  own 
progenitors  will  be  ashamed. 

I  understand  the  projectors  of  the  two  New  Jersey  routes, 
expect,  or  rather  say  they  expect,  to  connect  with  the  Inter- 
borough  at  Bowling  Green.  This  is  inconceivable.  To  cross  the 
whole  northern  side  of  Battery  Park  from  the  river  near  Pier  A 
to  connection  near  Bowling  Green  is  simply  ridiculous.  It  would 
be  a  perpetual  barrier  for  all  future  tunnels  from  South  Brooklyn 
and  Staten  Island  through  the  park  up  through  Manhattan.  New 
York,  through  a  great  city,  is  still  in  its  infancy.  Within  30  or 
40  years  all  tunnels  must  be  duplicated  or  at  least  their  carrying 
capacity  doubled ;  the  Battery  is  the  natural  entrance  to  Man- 
hattan by  tunnel  from  South  Brooklyn  and  Staten  Island.  A 
tunnel  across  the  north  side  of  Battery  Park  would  effectively 
preclude  any  future  tunnel  from  the  south  to  and  through  Man- 
hattan. Nothing  that  could  be  devised  would  be  a  greater  per- 
manent injury  to  South  Brooklyn  and  Staten  Island. 

Staten  Island  and  South  Brooklyn  in  the  years  to  come  will 
need  many  subways  to  Manhattan,  and  the  Battery  should  be 
reserved  exclusively  for  them,  and  the  Central  of  New  Jersey 
should  do  as  McAdoo  did,  buy  a  terminal  in  the  city,  and  not  try 
to  use  Staten  Island  to  get  an  entrance  via  the  Battery. 

For  many  a  long  year  (in  my  judgment)  the  only  hope  for 
Staten  Island  for  connection  through  the  other  Boroughs  for  a 
5  cent  fare  on  the  same  basis  as  the  other  Boroughs,  is  by  way 
of  Brooklyn,  connecting  with  the  dual  system. 

If  it  were  possible  to  induce  the  city  to  make  the  great  outlay 
for  a  direct  route  there  are  three  routes  which  should  be  con- 
sidered— one  from  Battery  Park  to  and  along  Governors  Island 
to  Tompkinsville,  passing  the  Bell  Buoy  for  ventilating  shaft. 
Second  from  Battery  Park  under  Governors'  Island  to  Red  Hook, 
Brooklyn,  thence  to  Tompkinsville  via  Bell  Buoy.  Third  (all 
things  considered,  I  consider  best)  Battery  Park  to  Hamilton 
Avenue,  Brooklyn  and  up  that  avenue  to  Van  Brunt  Street  and 
down  that  street  to  Red  Hook,  thence  to  Tompkinsville  via  Bell 
Buoy. 

This  latter  route  would  be  a  little  shorter  than  the  committee's 
route  A.    Would  give  about  three  stations  in  Brooklyn  in  a  sec- 


37 


tion  much  in  need  of  rapid  transit  and  easily  connected  with  the 
Dual  System,  would  give  much  business  to  help  pay  for  the  great 
outlay,  and  would  appeal  to  the  city  authorities  hence  I  believe 
this  is  the  only  direct  or  nearly  direct  route  possible  at  this  time. 
In  the  years  to  come,  when  our  population  is  much  larger,  or 
great  railroad  and  shipping  terminals  demand  it,  then  we  can 
consistently  ask  for  a  direct  tunnel.  A  little  business  sense  is 
worth  more  for  the  attainment  of  this  object,  than  great  volume 
of  wishy  washy  pretence  or  flambuoyant  declamation. 

Some  of  our  most  estimable  and  worthy  citizens  oppose  the 
tunnel  for  what  might  be  termed  esthetic  reasons.  They  depre- 
cate the  ruthless  hand  of  man  in  despoiling  our  beautiful  Island. 
I  truly  sympathize  with  them.  I  appreciate  their  honest  senti- 
ments. I,  too,  love  the  country,  the  "orchard,  the  meadow  and 
the  deep  tangled  wild  wood,"  have  their  wooing  charms,  but  we 
are  in  the  greatest  city  of  the  continent,  progressing  at  a  pro- 
digeous  rate,  its  momentum  cannot  be  stopped,  and  Richmond  is 
destined  to  be  the  greatest  shipping  and  railroad  terminal  on  the 
continent.  The  contest  for  the  markets  of  the  world,  and  our 
coming  again  into  active  participation  in  the  carrying  trade  will 
perforce  of  inexorable  economic  laws  demand  that  the  make- 
shifts of  the  past  shall  make  way  for  the  best  possible  terminals 
for  handling  both  freight  and  passengers.  Staten  Island's  water- 
front (according  to  most  competent  authority),  is  not  only  the 
best  in  the  harbor  of  New  York,  but  "the  eastern  coast  of  the 
United  States  does  not  offer  a  site  its  equal"  it  is  also  the  only 
place  in  the  harbor  where  all  the  railroads  can  "meet  the  ton- 
nage of  the  world"  with  ample  room  for  all  necessary  auxiliaries. 
Given  these  conditions,  it  does  not  need  a  prophet  to  forecast 
the  outcome. 

The  corollary  of  these  conditions  means  great  warehouse  and 
manufacturing  centers.  All  this  may  come  sooner  than  expected 
for  economic  pressure  will  impel  at  a  tremendous  rate.  Other 
nations  are  alive  to  the  situation ;  the  contest  for  the  markets  of 
the  world  is  on,  it  will  be  a  war  to  the  finish  with  the  survival 
of  the  fittest.  To  oppose  would  be  folly — it  is  wisdom  to  accept 
the  inevitable. 

Those  who  take  the  position  of  a  direct  tunnel  or  none,  are 
so  far  from  the  pale  of  reason,  that  words  would  be  lost,  to 
such  I  would  say  "Ephraim  is  joined  to  idols,  let  him  alone." 

The  committee  has  made  mistakes.  We  all  make  mistakes. 
It  is  human  to  err.  Putting  our  differences  behind  us.  Let 
us  then,  man  fashion,  "all  together"  pull  a  good  stroke  for  a 
tunnel. 

Dongan  Hills,  April  10,  1919. 

D.  J.  Tysen. 


38 


TUNNEL  TO  STATEN  ISLAND  VIA  BROOKLYN 

Many  meetings  on  Staten  Island  and  before  the  Rapid  Transit 
Commission  for  tunnel  connection  with  the  other  Boroughs  have 
been  held  during  all  the  years  since  consolidation  with  redundancy 
of  argument  and  volume  of  rhetoric  with  no  appreciable  suc- 
cess, until  the  advent  of  the  present  administration,  since  which 
progress  has  been  made  and  hope  heartens  us  that  in  the  near 
future  we  will  realize  this  much  desired  consummation.  Noth- 
ing more  remains  to  be  said  at  this  time — my  views  on  this  sub- 
ject will  be  best  given  by  the  following  letter  to  the  Rapid  Transit 
Commission : 


The  Public  Service  Commission, 
154  Nassau  Street, 
New  York  City. 

Gentlemen  : 

Transit  facilities  and  interborough  communication  are  most  im- 
portant questions  affecting  the  interest  of  the  great  City.  Lower 
Manhattan  being  the  business  and  financial  centre — is  the  Mecca 
to  which  all  routes  must  lead.  Populations  of  cities  flow  along 
the  lines  of  least  resistance;  transit  facilities  largely  control  the 
trend  of  population.  Ten  miles  south  by  tunnel  can  be  made  as 
quickly  as  the  same  distance  can  be  made  in  any  other  direction. 

The  present  traffic  of  the  north  and  south  lines  in  Manhattan 
is  lopsided — unbalanced.  To  balance  this  traffic  and  increase  the 
earnings  of  these  lines  is  of  the  greatest  importance. 

North  of  Canal  Street  in  Manhattan  and  the  Bronx  there  are 
now  upwards  of  two  millions  of  people;  they  are — we  will  assume 
— reasonably  well  accommodated  by  the  existing  north  and  south 
lines  in  Manhattan,  two  millions  more  in  South  Brooklyn  and 
Staten  Island  would  be  equally  as  well  accommodated  by  the  same 
lines,  with  the  same  equipment,  with  little  or  no  extra  cost ;  while 
two  millions  more  to  the  north  will  require  the  expenditure  of 
at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty  million  dollars  in  Manhatttan  to 
accommodate  them. 

As  many  fares  would  come  to  the  lines  of  Manhattan  per 
capita  from  those  south  as  from  those  north,  and  the  average 
haul  would  be  shorter.    Double  the  earnings  of  the  north  and 


39 


south  lines  in  Manhattan  and  save  this  large  expenditure  by 
building  the  Fourth  Avenue  and  Staten  Island  tunnel.  The 
tunnels  to  New  Jersey  and  those  leading  out  to  Long  Island  will 
help  in  balancing  this  traffic,  but  not  to  the  extent  that  the  tunnel 
to  Staten  Island  via  South  Brooklyn  would.  Besides,  the  former 
benefit  more  particularly  sections  outside  the  city. 

The  commercial  supremacy  of  this  city  is  of  the  first  im- 
portance. Excessive  lighterage  charges  and  lack  of  dock  and 
pier  accommodation  have  driven  shipping  trade  to  other  ports 
and  our  ocean  steamers  to  dock  in  New  Jersey.  If  we  would 
retain  our  commercial  supremacy,  better  pier,  dock  and  shipping 
facilities  must  be  provided. 

The  United  States  Government  has  refused  to  allow  piers  to 
be  further  extended  into  the  Hudson.  The  piers  in  Manhattan 
on  either  side  are  too  short  to  accommodate  ships  now  in  sight, 
and  much  larger  ships  doubtless  will  follow.  Where  can  you 
look  for  accommodation  for  these  except  to  Staten  Island  ?  Here 
you  can  have  piers  of  ample  length,  with  ample  depth  of  water, 
and  ample  room  for  vessels  of  the  largest  size  to  warp  into  dock 
without  inconvenience  or  extra  expense.  Often  stress  of  weather, 
fog  or  ice,  compels  vessels  to  lie  at  Quarantine  over  night ;  dock- 
ing at  Clifton  would  obviate  this,  and  with  proper  tunnel  facili- 
ties, passengers  could  reach  their  homes  within  the  city  long  be- 
fore they  could  dock  at  Hoboken  on  the  Chelsea  section  under  the 
most  favorable  circumstances. 

Staten  Island  has  more  waterfront  than  any  of  the  other 
Boroughs,  and  more  that  is  unimproved  than  all  the  other 
Boroughs  combined.  When  the  barge  and  coast  canals  are  com- 
pleted, the  Kill  von  Kull  and  Staten  Island  Sound,  approximately 
about  twenty  miles  in  length,  will  be  one  of  the  greatest  freight 
routes  in  the  world.  Manufacturing  establishments  have  been 
forced  to  leave  Manhattan  and  Brooklyn  owing  to  high  taxes 
and  excessive  cost  in  handling  their  products.  This  twenty  miles 
of  waterway  will  offer  to  such  interests  the  most  desirable  fac- 
tory and  storehouse  sites  possible.  With  tunnel  connection  with 
Manhattan,  subsidiary  lines  would  soon  make  these  available. 
From  Mariners'  Harbor  to  Clifton,  about  ten  miles,  a  double 
track  trunk  railroad  skirts  the  shore  making  direct  connection 
possible  with  all  piers  and  warehouses  on  the  waterfront.  Here 
you  have  the  solution  and  guarantee  of  commercial  supremacy. 
No  other  sections  in  the  greater  city,  can  offer  you  as  much. 
Here  the  outgoing  and  incoming  freight,  as  well  as  passengers, 
can  be  handled  at  the  least  possible  cost,  and,  as  has  been  aptly 
said:  "The  products  of  a  continent  meet  the  tonnage  of  the 
world."  Should  our  ocean  steamers  be  forced  to  dock  in  New 
Jersey  and  our  carrying  trade  be  forced  to  seek  other  ports,  when 
with  proper  tunnel  connections  we  have  the  very  best  conditions 


40 


for  both  services  within  our  own  borders?  A  tunnel  to  bring 
the  Custom  House,  the  Produce  Exchange  and  the  business  and 
financial  centres  within  easy  reach  of  this  most  valuable  water- 
front will  be  to  the  city  a  valuable  asset  and  security. 

The  late  Austin  Corbin's  dream  of  a  great  passenger  and 
freight  terminal  at  the  east  end  of  Long  Island  may  prove  a 
veritable  nightmare  to  this  Metropolis  if  our  city  fathers  sleep 
until  the  great  Pennsylvania  Railroad  makes  another  Newport 
News,  about  as  far  eastward  as  Philadelphia  is  southward,  and 
our  city  my  be  made,  to  some  extent,  a  way  station.  It  is  not 
wise  to  belittle  the  consequences  of  this  proposition;  many  able 
men  deem  it  feasible.  The  tunnel  to  Staten  Island,  the  Staten 
Island  waterfront,  and  the  Ambrose  Channel  are  the  potent  fac- 
tors to  ward  off  this  threatening  blow.  The  Battery  is  the  front 
door  to  Manhattan,  all  other  entrances  are  side  door.s.  From 
the  Battery  you  may  go,  practically,  to  any  part  of  Manhattan 
without  changing;  other  entrances  are  largely  local,  requiring 
changes  to  reach  other  sections.  The  Battery  also  presents  the 
most  favorable  conditions  for  the  city  to  build  tunnels  and  ter- 
minals, without  cost  for  fee  or  easement,  and  without  detriment 
to  the  park. 

Manhattan  has  nearly  reached  its  maximum  population.  In 
the  near  future,  it  will  decrease  in  numbers,  each  year  probably 
at  an  increased  ratio,  demands  for  business  purposes  driving  many 
to  seek  new  homes.  Those  bordering  on  the  business  section 
must  soon  shift.  Where  shall  they  go?  The  Bronx  is  prac- 
tically out  of  their  reach,  owing  to  high  land  values.  This  will 
soon  be  true  of  Brooklyn  and  Queens.  If  you  would  keep  them 
within  the  city.  Staten  Island  is  the  only  hope.  There  you  have 
as  fair  a  land  as  the  sun  shines  on,  and  the  health  reports  show 
it  to  be  among  the  most  healthful,  the  lines  of  drainage  are  short 
and  the  grades  ample,  and  natural  conditions  made  this  a  veritable 
land  of  promise  to  the  home  seeker,  just  across  the  Bay  from 
Manhattan,  and  just  across  the  narrow  water  way  from  what  will 
soon  be  the  most  populous  of  the  Boroughs,  by  tunnel  ten  to 
fifteen  minutes  from  the  business  and  financial  centres  via  the 
front  door  at  the  Battery. 

Business  centres  shift  with  the  trend  of  population,  the  great 
business  quarter  of  the  city — lower  Manhattan — represents  vast 
realty  value.  This  is  practically  at  one  side  of  the  present  pop- 
ulation. Continued  growth  northward  and  not  southward  exag- 
gerates this  condition,  and  under  this  condition  what  guarantee 
of  value  is  there  in  realty  in  lower  Manhattan  ?  There  is  no  sure 
guarantee  in  values  in  lower  Manhattan  except  a  population  to 
the  south  to  centralize  the  business  and  financial  sections ;  a  small 
per  cent  of  depreciation  in  property  below  City  Hall  would  build 
many  tunnels  to  Staten  Island,  and  all  New  York  is  interested 
in  maintaining  values  in  lower  Manhattan. 


41 


There  has  been  much  comment  lately  in  the  press  as  to  the 
ability  of  the  routes  selected  by  your  Board,  viz. :  the  Lexington 
and  Fourth  Avenue  tunnels,  to  pay. 

The  expenditure  of  public  money  where  resultant  benefits  are 
unequal,  and  especially  where  deficit  is  probable,  has  led  to  much 
controversy  in  the  past  and  has  been  the  bugbear  and  scarecrow 
standing  across  the  path  of  progress  since  the  foundation  of  gov- 
ernment by  taxation.  Happily,  however,  the  evolution  of  prog- 
ress tends  to  more  liberal  views.  I  will  illustrate  by  a  few 
examples. 

For  fifty  years  or  more  the  battle  for  public  schools  was  stub- 
bornly contested  in  this  State.  Those  having  no  children  and 
those  who  preferred  to  educate  their  children  in  private  schools, 
and  the  non-resident  taxpayers,  rebelled  against  the  proposition 
that  they  must  go  down  into  their  pockets  and  assist  in  the  edu- 
cation of  their  neighbors'  children — as  well  ask  to  help  feed  and 
clothe  them.  It  was  also  contended  that  public  operation  would 
lead  to  corruption,  be  expensive  and  less  efficient,  and  would  be 
controlled  largely  by  political  favoritism.  The  fifty  years  or 
more  of  trial  has  proven  the  fallacy  of  all  those  fears.  Wiser 
and  more  liberal  views  finally  prevailed,  and  the  "boarding  round" 
and  the  "rate  bill"  became  matters  of  history  and  now  the 
proudest  monument  that  breaks  the  sky  in  all  the  land  is  the  dome 
and  gable  of  the  public  school,  yet  it  is  all  deficit,  all  on  one 
side  of  the  ledger,  and  no  "revenue,"  no  return,  except  better 
equipped  citizenship.  This  marked  a  long  step  along  the  path 
of  progress  and  civilization. 

So  with  the  public  highways.  Sixty  years  ago  in  "all  the  region 
round  about"  there  was  not,  outside  of  the  cities,  a  public  high- 
way improved  by  general  taxation.  Every  improved  pike,  plank 
or  macadam  road  was  controlled  by  private  capital;  the  toll  gate 
was  in  evidence  everywhere,  and  those  who  used  the  road  paid, 
and  those  who  didn't  use  didn't  pay,  and  when  it  was  proposed  to 
build  improved  roadways  by  general  taxation  there  was  general 
rebellion.  The  vast  majority  who  had  no  horses  insisted  it  was 
robbery  to  compel  them  to  pay  for  costly  roadways  for  others' 
use.  Here  also  wiser  and  more  liberal  views  finally  prevailed, 
and  today  state  vies  with  state,  county  with  county,  and  town 
with  town,  in  building  improved  highways  by  taxation  and  the 
toll  gate  is  of  the  past.  And  we  are  all  happy,  notwithstanding 
it  is  all  deficit,  no  "revenue,"  all  on  one  side  of  the  ledger. 

The  postal  service  presents  a  striking  example  of  the  progress 
made  in  this  direction.  For  many  years  after  "Independence" 
graded  rates  of  postage  obtained.  Every  year  there  was  a  deficit, 
and  in  every  Congress  debate  and  contention  arose  as  to  the 
rates.  Those,  if  I  remember  rightly,  ranged  from  four  to  thirty 
cents.    Much  of  the  deficit  was  occasioned  in  the  South,  and  the 


42 


Middle  and  Eastern  States  rebelled  against  paying  it.  This  led 
to  acrimonious  debate,  partaking  somewhat  of  a  sectional  char- 
acter ;  the  Northern  States  insisting  that  every  section  should  pay 
rates  somewhat  commensurate  with  the  cost.  Here  also  in  the 
evolution  of  progress  a  more  liberal  policy  prevailed  and  a  uni- 
form rate  was  finally  adopted,  and  it  now  costs  no  more  to  send 
a  letter  across  the  Continent  than  across  the  street.  This  marked 
another  step  along  the  path  of  progress  and  civilization  and 
though  the  deficit  is  yearly  present,  it  goes  into  the  budget  without 
protest. 

The  history  of  our  bridges  presents  another  example  of  growth, 
of  liberal  and  progressive  sentiment.  When  the  two  cities  de- 
cided to  build  the  "Brooklyn  Bridge"  the  solicitude  was  general 
as  to  how  to  make  the  bridge  pay.  Once  built,  the  anxiety  to 
have  it  pay  was  soon  lost  in  the  solicitude  to  have  it  accommo- 
date the  public.  It  never  paid,  never  will  pay,  it  is  almost  free 
and  finally  will  be  free.  And  so  when  the  second  bridge  is  built 
no  one  expects  it  to  pay,  and  so  with  the  third,  etc.  Sentiment 
has  changed.  These  will  all  ultimately  be  free,  and  you  can  no 
more  stop  this  result  than  you  could  change  the  tides  of  the 
ocean  or  the  laws  of  gravity.  Public  sentiment  will  soon  come 
to  regard  the  ferries  and  tunnels  from  the  same  standpoint,  not- 
withstanding this  ghost  of  Banquo  "Deficit"  rises  ever  and  anon 
to  intimidate  the  weak  and  timid. 

I  would  not  have  it  inferred  that  I  favor  free  transit  by  ferries 
or  tunnels  any  more  than  I  do  free  postage,  but  that  the  City 
Government  should  direct  its  efforts  toward  a  uniform  rate  of 
fare  within  the  limits  of  the  City. 

We  can  see  no  difference  in  principle  whether  the  City's  money 
shall  be  used  to  build  a  bridge  over  the  water,  a  ferry  on  the 
water,  or  a  tunnel  under  the  water  for  interborough  communica- 
tion, and  the  public  must  come  to  take  a  like  view  of  this  mat- 
ter. Revolutions  are  never  backward.  To  justify  the  position 
that  the  ferries  and  tunnels  operated  by  the  City  must  pay,  is 
going  back  to  the  dead  past,  to  the  "boarding  round,"  the  "rate 
bill,"  the  "toll  gate"  the  "graded  postal  rates,"  and  to  be  con- 
sistent we  must  insist  that  the  bridge,  the  recreation  piers,  the 
parkways,  and  the  expensive  speedway,  costing  many  millions  for 
a  favored  few,  must  pay.  This  is  impossible;  you  cannot  go 
backward. 

If,  however,  your  Board  should  deem  it  necessary  that  "reve- 
nue" shall  be  a  dominant  factor  in  determining  tunnel  routes,  we 
would  point  to  our  long  stretch  of  sandy  beaches,  within  easy 
reach  of  the  dense  population  of  the  city,  where  the  toiling  mil- 
lions may  find  amusement  and  recreation  by  the  sea.  This  would 
be  a  great  source  of  revenue.  The  largely  increased  population 
of  Richmond  and  the  very  considerable  numbers  in  the  neigh- 


43 


boring  cities  and  villages  of  New  Jersey  who  would  find  this  tun- 
nel a  short  and  convenient  way  to  Coney  Island  and  other  places 
of  amusement  and  recreation  in  Brooklyn  and  Queens,  would 
doubtless  add  many  fares  to  the  tunnel  receipts ;  also  the  connec- 
tion of  these  sections  with  the  great  and  growing  Borough  of 
Brooklyn,  from  a  business  viewpoint,  would  lead  to  much  travel 
via  this  tunnel;  it  would  make  possible  a  short  route  to  the 
numerous  towns  and  citizens  along  the  Jersey  coast,  and  would 
give  them  a  short  and  popular  route  to  Manhattan,  via  the  front 
door  at  the  Battery,  leading  to  any  part  without  change.  This 
would  also  largely  augment  the  earnings.  And  finally  the  reve- 
nue that  would  accrue  to  the  City  from  increased  assessments, 
would  soon  recoup  the  City  for  the  whole  outlay. 

We  are  especially  pleased  to  note  the  change  made  by  you  in 
the  size  of  the  Fourth  Avenue  tunnel  to  admit  the  larger  cars 
of  the  suburban  roads.  It  assures  us  of  your  appreciation  of 
the  demands  of  the  future. 

We  deem  it  fortunate  that  a  body  so  admirably  constituted  as 
your  Board  to  intelligently  solve  the  complex  problem  involved 
in  the  City's  transit  facilities  and  interborough  connection,  has 
been  provided ;  and  we  are  confident  that  consistent  and  compre- 
hensive consideration  will  satisfy  your  Board  that  the  City  can- 
not afford  to  delay  the  building  of  the  Staten  Island  tunnel,  and 
that  when  finished,  all  things  considered,  it  will  be  to  the  City, 
proportionate  to  its  cost,  the  most  valuable  tunnel  that  will  ever 
be  built  within  its  borders. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

D.  J.  Tysen. 

Dongan  Hills,  June  20th,  1908. 

Since  this  letter  was  written,  the  Secretary  of  War,  in  order 
to  meet  an  emergency,  has  consented  to  a  conditional,  temporary 
extension  of  some  piers  in  the  Chelsea  section.  The  increasing 
water  traffic  and  the  increasing  size  of  ocean  steamers  will  surely 
demand  a  change  to  some  other  section  in  the  near  future. 

GARBAGE  PLANT 

The  outrageous  attemt  to  instal  a  garbage  rendering  plant  for 
the  whole  City  on  Staten  Island,  and  the  specious  reasons,  and 
the  insolence  and  unwarranted  action  of  Mayor  Mitchel  are  a 
dirty  chapter  in  the  History  of  Mitchel's  Administration. 

Mitchel,  who  had  much  natural  ability,  and  considerable  ex- 
perience in  City  affairs,  commanded  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
his  constituents,  but  his  treatment  and  the  reasons,  or  want  of 
reasons  for  his  action  in  this  matter  deserves  the  severest  censure. 


44 


The  impelling  motive  was  generally  attributed  to  his  friendship 
for  Ex-Senator  Reynolds,  who  it  is  supposed,  desired  for  selfish 
reasons  to  get  rid  of  the  Garbage  Plant  on  Barren  Island. 

"Friendship  rarest  gem  on  earth," 

"Who  ere  hath  found  the  jewel  his." 


Is  a  most  charming,  alluring  and  noble  attribute — but  no  friend- 
ship, however  pure  and  unalloyed,  justifies  a  high  official  to 
violate  the  spirit  of  his  oath  of  office  or  immunes  him  from  cen- 
sure for  insulting  a  delegation  of  thousands  of  his  constituents, 
when  assembled  at  a  meeting,  over  which  he  presided,  by  his  in- 
solent disrespect  and  insulting  manner.  He  has  gone  to  his 
reward.  His  friend  was  indicted  for  alleged  infraction  of  the 
law  while  acting  as  Mayor  of  Long  Beach.  Under  this  indict- 
ment he  was  tried  before  Judge  Cropsey  of  the  Supreme  Court 
and  convicted.  An  appeal  is  now  pending  for  reversal  of  judg- 
ment of  conviction. 

It  remained  for  Mayor  Hylan,  whose  sense  of  right  and 
justice  paved  the  way,  and  to  Health  Commissioner  Dr.  Cope- 
land  (now  U.  S.  Senator)  with  the  sense  of  justice  and  courage, 
and  professional  ability  to  declare  the  plant  a  nuisance,  and  abate 
it — and  to  District  Attorney  Fach  for  his  energy  and  ability  in 
calling  meetings  and  securing  the  facts  and  assembling  the  testi- 
mony into  shape,  to  justify  the  action  of  the  Health  Officer. 

In  handling  you  the  enclosed  plain  statements  "Unvarnished 
tale"  I  wish  to  say  there  is  no  pretense  that  various  statements 
are  the  verbatim  expression  of  the  various  persons  named  as 
such  would  be  impossible  as  all  happened  15  to  30  years  ago. 
But  the  essential  facts  and  conclusions  are  correct  as  stated. 
There  may  also  be  some  discrepancy  in  the  order  of  the  hap- 
penings. Doubtless  it  will  seem  very  tame  at  this  date  and  with- 
out the  smoke  and  fire — grape  and  shrapnel  incidental  to  a  wordy 
conflict. 

During  the  time  of  the  consideration  of  all  these  important 
subjects  the  Staten  Island  Chamber  of  Commerce  exerted  a  great 
and  wholesome  influence  in  promoting  the  best  interest  of  the 
Borough  of  Richmond,  and  much  credit  for  this  is  due  to  Mr. 
Kolff,  the  energetic,  tactful  and  resourceful  Secretary  of  the 
Chamber  for  many  years. 

I  hope  this  will  prove  measurably  satisfactory,  if  not  wholly, 
and  that  it  may  be  the  source  of  some  pleasure  to  the  idle  curious 
as  well  as  of  some  service  to  the  more  serious  minded  to  learn 
the  history  of  important  happenings  on  Staten  Island  shortly  be- 


45 


fore  and  after  she  changed  from  a  beautiful  rural  suburb  to  an 
important  integral  part  of  a  great  Cosmopolitan  City.  We  still 
had  the  same  soil  beneath  our  feet,  the  same  range  of  grand 
hills,  "whose  lofty  peaks  proudly  propped  the  sky"  and  the  same 
blue  etheral  overhead,  but  at  the  stroke  of  12  o'clock  midnight 
on  December  31st,  1897,  our  government  was  radically  changed, 
this  was  resented  by  some,  as  they  thought  it  inimical  to  the  best 
interests  of  the  island.  Happily  this  feeling  has  long  since  passed 
away. 

This  story  exemplifies  the  truth  of  the  saying — Eternal  vigi- 
lance is  the  price  of  victory — also  of  success. 

And  now  one  word  to  my  fellow  citizens — by  the  inexorable 
law  of  Nature  I  am  relegated  to  a  back  seat — out  of  commission ; 
but  to  you  who  are  vigorous  in  mind  and  body,  there  is  a  re- 
sponsibility which,  as  public  spirited  citizens,  you  should  assume. 
There  is  always  something  happening  in  a  large  city  that  needs 
public  attention.  The  Mayor  or  President  of  the  Borough  can- 
not see  everything.  Their  thoughts  are  centered  on  the  thou- 
sand and  one  things  demanding  immediate  attention,  something 
deserving  and  important,  some  premature  and  some  impossible. 
You  should  assist  them.   Partisanship  should  play  no  part. 

There  is  at  this  time  an  important  question  that  should  receive 
your  attention.  The  Borough  of  Richmond  is  militated  against 
in  its  ferry  facilities.  The  outrageous  position  is  taken  that  our 
ferry  should  pay  interest  on  initial  cost,  upkeep  and  operation. 
No  other  of  the  interborough  connections  are  expected  to  pay, 
but  we  are  continually  reminded  that  our  ferry  does  not  pay  and 
this  is  frequently  urged  when  other  improvements  are  sought, 
but  nothing  is  ever  said  about  facilities  of  the  other  boroughs. 
These  are  a  city  charge  and  Richmond  pays  its  share  as  well  as 
the  other  boroughs  but  when  it  comes  to  our  ferry,  forsooth, 
that  is  different.  Here  the  ferry  tolls  for  passengers  and  teams 
must  pay  the  whole  bill,  interest  on  initial  cost,  upkeep  and 
operating  expenses,  etc.  This  is  an  outrage.  This  is  a  city 
matter  and  it  is  justly  a  city  charge.  No  different  in  principal 
from  the  bridges  and  tunnels  in  which  the  city  has  invested  hun- 
dreds of  millions  of  dollars  and  of  which  Richmond  pays  her 
share.  These  are  practically  free,  treated  as  streets  for  inter- 
borough connection,  and  our  ferry  by  the  same  token  should  also 
be  practically  free.  This,  however,  we  do  not  ask  since  that 
policy  would  defeat  the  object  and  purposes  of  the  ferry,  which 
is  to  furnish  the  people  of  Staten  Island  connection  with  the 
other  boroughs.  The  Staten  Island  ferry  being  a  long  ride,  and 
especially  in  the  warm  weather  a  delightful  ride,  would  soon  be- 
come a  free  excursion  to  many  of  the  millions  of  the  city — 
some  would  doubtless  spend  most  of  the  day  on  the  boats  if  they 
were  free  of  cost  to  them — but  some  reasonable  arrangement  of 

41 


fares  should  be  made  to  insure  a  rate  satisfactory  to  Staten  Is- 
landers. Perhaps  the  regular  fare  should  remain  as  it  is,  but  a 
commutation  rate  by  month  or  quarter,  a  mere  nominal  cost  for 
passengers  and  teams. 

This,  with  a  Mayor  just  and  equitable,  who  has  shown  during 
his  whole  term  a  disposition  to  do  the  right  thing  by  the  island 
and  a  Borough  President  always  on  the  job,  never  sleeping  on 
his  post,  never  letting  the  grass  grow  under  his  feet.  This  ac- 
complishment should  be  easy.  So  get  alongside  of  the  Mayor  and 
Borough  President  and  push  this  to  success.  Don't  undertake  it 
unless  you  intend  to  go  to  the  end — remember  the  horse  that  quits 
on  the  homestretch  never  wins — also  that  defeat  only  makes  it 
harder  for  any  subsequent  attempt.  Once  embarked,  take  the 
lead,  give  the  word  "Forward"  and  remember  the  fate  of  Lot's 
wife  and  never  look  back. 

Respectfully, 

DAVID  J.  TYSEN. 

October  16,  1924. 


